


New Awakening

by hopefully2020



Series: History Rewritten [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Blood and Violence, Depressed Noctis Lucis Caelum, F/M, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Hurt Noctis Lucis Caelum, M/M, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Shy Prompto Argentum, Swearing, Time Skips, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2020-02-16 17:25:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18695992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopefully2020/pseuds/hopefully2020
Summary: Noctis died. The prophecy was fulfilled. But what happens when Noctis is suddenly alive again, long before he went down the road towards his death? And what if the world he lives in now is not the world he remembers?





	1. Prologue: Fate Changes

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first fic so I hope you enjoy :)

"It's finally over..."

_Evil nac uoy, emit siht ebyaM. thgir ti teg nac I, emit siht ebyaM. derotser eb tusm ecnalab eht, emit sihT. ssenkrad si ereht uoy htiw tub, thgil on si ereht, uoy tuohitw. pleh ruoy deen I. yrros ylurt ma I taht rof dna, niaga uoy on decalp eb llahs sredluohs ruoy ffo detfil saw taht thgiew ehT. ytilaer no desab ysatnaf a .tnereffid hucm yrev tub emas eht hcum; uoy stiawa efil tnereffid A. esruoc tnereffid a nekat sah etaf tub, gniK ym, yrros m’I._

****  
The sweat drenched through his clothes and matted his dark hair to his forehead. His throat was dry, clenching shut and causing his breath to falter. He pushed the sheets off his body, his limbs flailing as he tumbled off of the bed and onto the hard stone floor. His hands reached out, hoping to grip onto something to hoist himself upwards. The ledge of a table met his fingertips and he pushed himself upwards, his feet meeting the ground in a shaky stance. He moved forward, towards the open door leading towards a bathroom as his vision began to spin and his stomach began to churn. He stumbled forward, his legs failing him as he wrapped his warm hands around the cold porcelain of the toilet and upheaved anything that was still in his stomach. Once he was sure there was nothing but acid left in his stomach, he leaned down so his forehead was resting against the lip of the toilet. He sighed at the cool feeling that ran down his spine from the contact. His eyes fluttered shut as a pain shot through his chest, just like the pain he experienced at his death.

_His death._

Noctis’ eyes shot open again, much too quickly for his comfort. He groaned as pain shot through his head and everything blurred slightly. Once everything cleared, Noctis was able to see that he was in his old bedroom in the palace, a bedroom he had avoided in his teen years for haven at his apartment. Although the biggest question was, how was he alive, a few more quickly filled his fragment thoughts.

1\. Why was he in his old room?  
2\. Why did his eyesight seem to level out at a shorter height?  
3\. What was that pounding noise?

Number three was quickly answered for him as the door to his bedroom was thrown open. He jumped at the sound, knocking his head against the counter beside the toilet and the pain he was already feeling intensified.

“Noctis!” A familiar voice met Noctis’ ears as a hand settled onto his cheek. Noctis leaned into the touch, the unknown person’s skin much cooler than his own.

“He’s burning up.” The unknown man said. His arms wrapped around Noctis and easily picked him up off the ground. “Get a doctor and get Ignis. Hurry.”

Noctis could feel himself being carried out of the room as well as the movement of other people around him. It hurt his head to focus on anything except the searing pain all over his body, and he finally decided that sleep was the only way for the pain to stop. Even if it was just for a moment.

 

Noctis awoke to a cool cloth on his forehead and a hand holding his own. He groaned as pain flared up in his back and spread to his chest where a sword should have been impaling his pale skin. His eyes opened to a bright light above him and he moved his gaze away from its assault. He went to push himself up when a hand rested on his shoulder and pushed him down gently.

“Careful Noctis.” A warm voice said and Noctis turned to see the man sitting at his bedside. He hesitated, the man in front of him so foreign yet known. It was his father, that he was sure of, yet he looked so young, so healthy, and alive. It wasn’t the man Noctis said goodbye to on those Citadel steps on the first day on the road to his death.  
“Dad?” His voice came out rough, cracked, and surprisingly high-pitched. It was as if-

The door swung open and Clarus Amicitia, King Regis’ shield and friend, entered the room.

“Is he okay?” Clarus addressed the King with a slight nod and moved to his side.

“Ask him yourself.” Regis nodded to Noctis who was once again struggling to push himself up into a sitting position. A small smile formed on Clarus face as he grabbed Noctis waist and tugged him up so Noctis could lean against the pillows set upright on his bed.

“How you feeling, Prince Noctis?” Clarus asked as he bent down to make eye contact with Noctis.

“Slightly dizzy.” Noctis replied, stopping suddenly at the sound of his own voice. High pitched and very immature were the first traits he matched to his voice. He looked down at his hands and sucked in a quick breath. They were small, to say the least. The size of a child’s hands. He closed his eyes, his hands balling into fists, before opening his eyes again and looking at his father.

Regis’ eyes swam with worry, but it seemed to fade slightly when Noctis smiled at him.

“Does anything hurt?” Regis asked as he moved to sit on Noctis’ bedside. Noctis shook his head, brushing some of his bangs out of his eyes.

“I feel fine.” Noctis simply replied. There was silence as Noctis pondered his thoughts for a moment. “I have a question.”

“Ask away.” Regis said as Clarus stepped back from the bed so Regis could be closer to his son.

“What is today’s date?”

“Today’s date?” Regis asked, looking back at his shield with a wary look.

“Like, what year?”

“The year.” Regis paused, concern and confusion replacing his worry. “It’s M.E.748. Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to make sure.” Noctis replied carefully. He placed his arms at his sides, his hands flat against the bed. He pushed himself so that he could swing his legs over the side of the bed, internally wincing at the scarring that ran along the skin of his short legs. He went to stand but faltered slightly. Regis was quickly at his side, a hand wrapped around one of Noctis’ skinny arms.

“Are you sure you want to stand?” Regis asked. Noctis nodded in reply, stepping away from his father’s hold and towards the floor length mirror on the wall in front of him. His reflection was that of his twelve-year-old self, with his signature black hoodie and messy hair. One difference, though, was the slight tint of red in his irises. He looked down at the spot he had been fixated on his chest. His hand wandered to the spot, pressing down lightly. No scar, no sword, no pain.

He was alive.

Now one question still remained. How was he alive?


	2. Research

Noctis had been allowed to roam on his own after being forced to endure many tests to show that he was, indeed, healthy once again. It was odd, the entire situation, since Noctis kept looking into the eyes of two men who had died. His father radiated worry off himself constantly, it made Noctis worried. Clarus was composed, but Noctis could tell he was concerned for his Prince and King.

Noctis was currently walking through the Citadel’s halls, taking in the place he had once called home. The last time he had been in the Citadel’s walls was when the stone was crumbled and the buildings destroyed as daemons screamed in the distance. Noctis shook away the dark thoughts, continuing his trek as two guards trailed behind him.

Noctis continued until he reached his bedroom, the two guards taking their position at his door as Noctis entered his room. Once he was positive the door was closed, he hurried to his closet and grabbing the biggest hoodie he owned, one that he was sure was oversized. He slipped a giant black hoodie that reached his knees over his head and pulled up the hood. His face was almost completely overshadowed by the dark fabric. Noctis smiled and grabbed his empty school backpack and threw it over his shoulder. He stepped out onto the balcony attached to his room, taking a deep breath and imagining a dagger appearing in his hand. A blue light flashed dully and the dagger he had managed to snatch from the training room appeared in his hand. A mischievous smile fluttered to Noctis’ lips before he threw the dagger forward and warped from his spot.

Noctis jumped and warped from roof to roof until he was far enough from the Citadel that he could continue his trek on foot. His hood sat on his head with ease as he made his way through Insomnia’s streets until the National Library came into view. He took the steps two at a time until he pulled open one of the large glass doors to enter the Library.

There were few people in the library at such a late time as it was, so Noctis pulled the hood from his head. He ran a hand through his hair as he walked up to the reception desk where a middle-aged woman sat at the desk. Noctis had to stand on his tiptoes in order to simply peer over the desk. He coughed slightly and the woman turned her attention to the young boy. Her eyes widened and she went to stand when Noctis moved around the desk and motioned for her to sit.

“Your-your highness.” The woman stuttered.

Noctis put his finger to his lips and motioned for the woman to lean in closer. He made sure he was close enough to her that even if he whispered, she would here him. “I need your help.”

It took slight convincing, but Noctis had soon gained access to the “restricted” area of the Library, only allowed access to the King and his select court. Noctis wasted no time in collecting the books he needed, almost positive his father would receive some kind of alert. Noctis began to quickly pace up and down the rows of book, grabbing any that talked about Eos’ history or anything about the Crystal. He also found books about Etro, the goddess of death. There were more than he remembered from when he visited the library as a teenager. Granted, he probably visited the library once and it was with Ignis, so he was too busy bothering his advisor rather than paying attention.

The last thing that caught his attention were the many maps of Eos that were neatly rolled up and tied in multiple bins lining the far wall. Noctis hurried to the bins, grabbing a map that showed Eos in its entirety, and neatly stuffed it in his backpack along with the books. With everything chosen, he closed his bag and pulled his hood over his head. As he was about to leave, a worn book spine grabbed his attention. He ran his fingers over the worn leather, the letters of the title fitting together and spelling out something he found interesting. Without hesitation, Noctis grabbed the book and exited the Library, the words _Cosmogony: The Astrals Origins_ glowing as Prince Noctis disappeared in a flash of blue light.

 

Regis had been sitting at his desk, slowly decreasing the stack of paperwork at the corner of his desk. There was a quiet knock on his door and in walked Cor Leonis, the head of the Crownsguard and one of Regis’ closest friends.

Cor bowed slightly before moving to stand in front of Regis’ desk. Regis noticed how Cor seemed tense, his eyes falling to meet his King and friend.

“What’s wrong?” Regis said, looking back down at the statement on his desk, reading over the small neat print.

“It’s Prince Noctis.”

Regis dropped his pen, looking up at Cor with worry that never seemed to fade when it came to his son. “What’s happened?”

“It seems Noctis has snuck out of the palace.”

‘How?” Regis asked, seriousness edging at his voice as he stood from his desk.

“Security feed caught him heading towards the Library. We didn’t notice until he was leaving the Library approximately five minutes ago.”

“How did he get out of his room without the guards noticing?” Regis had now exited his office, Cor in line with him as they headed for Noctis’ room.

“I wasn’t sure until I saw this.” Cor pulled a tablet from his coat, tapping a few buttons on the screen before turning it so Regis could watch the video being played. The quality was low, but Regis could already tell what the slight blue flash of light was as Noctis appeared on the screen. He paused for a moment, running across the roof of an apartment complex before throwing an object forward and disappearing in another flash of blue magic.

“He warped?” Regis inquired, more because he was shocked. He hadn’t started to teach Noctis how to warp since his son’s injury was still a hindrance to their training sessions.

“Not just that,” Cor said as he pocketed the tablet. “I received an alert saying someone had gained access to the restricted area of the Library. I could conclude that it was Noctis.”

“Why would he want to go there?” Regis asked as they passed extra guards that had been set up outside Noctis’ room.

“I have no clue.” Cor stated bluntly. He nodded to two new guards that stood in front of Noctis room before the door was opened. Cor and Regis entered, only to find Noctis sitting crossed legged on his bed with a book in his hands. He looked up at the two men’s entrance and smiled.

“Father!” Noctis exclaimed brightly as his bedroom door clicked shut.

“Don’t ‘Father’ me.” Regis said. Noctis’ smile faltered slightly as Regis sighed, moving to Noctis’ bedside and taking a seat. “You want to explain why you left the Citadel without permission, or how you learned how to warp?”

“I just wanted to do some light reading.” Noctis said, but the ending seemed to trail off into a question rather than a statement.

Regis held back the urge to roll his eyes, instead holding out his hand. Noctis sighed in defeat, the dagger materializing in his hand and falling into his father’s open palm.

“I don’t want to see or hear about you sneaking out again, understood?”

“Yes, father.”

Regis nodded, standing up and heading back over to Cor’s side. He paused, turned back to face his son, and scanned the room quickly.

“Is that the only book you took?”

Noctis looked down at the Cosmogony book in his hands and nodded. “Just this one.”

Regis seemed uncertain at first as if wondering if his son was lying to him. “I want it back by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, father.”

Regis turned around and left his son’s room quickly. Cor hesitated a moment, before turning to look at Noctis.

“Goodnight, Cor.” Noctis said, his eyes glued to the book in his hands.

Cor shook his head at the Prince’s new and odd behavior before replying. “Goodnight, Prince Noctis.” Cor then turned around and closed the door behind him.

Noctis was on his feet as soon as he was alone, reaching under his bed and grabbing his backpack. He quickly pulled out his map and one of the books he had grabbed from the library: _The History of the Royal Arms_.

Noctis laid the map out on the floor of his room, then grabbed a transparent plastic cover, laying it on top of the map. He flipped the book open to its first page which described the Sword of the Wise. After studying the map, he located Leide and moved North. He quickly grabbed an erasable marker and placed an X on the transparent paper. He then wrote in very neat handwriting: “Tomb of the Wise.”

Noctis looked down at the map and then back at the book, flipping the page to the next weapon. He groaned to himself before rubbing his eyes with his hand. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed! I'm not sure when I'll update next, it's a surprise for both you and me. Until next time :)


	3. Noticeable Differences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! sorry this chapter is soooo short, I might update earlier this week to make up for it. until then, I hope you enjoy :)  
> p.s. I'm thinking of updating every Saturday?? let's see how long I keep that up.

It had been a few weeks and Noctis was starting to notice the differences of this Insomnia from the one he grew up in. One of the main differences that he could see was the structure of Insomnia. The buildings were different, as well as the style of the architecture. It seemed as if the city was darker as well, even when the sun was up. 

Another main difference was the way the military system was set up in the Citadel. The Kingsglaive seemed to still exist, having been made around the same time it was the first time, but was run as if it were what Noctis could describe as a Mafia (or what he knew of a Mafia from the video games he would play with Prompto). King Regis would give orders, even if they were to go out and mercilessly killed hundreds of people, and the Glaives would not hesitate or object. Noctis had learned of this the hard way, having overheard his father speaking to Titus Drautos, the man who runs the Kingsglaive. He is also the man who would be the main pawn in Regis’ death. 

Noctis found that in order to learn as much as he could about this new world, it wouldn’t all be from books. With the knowledge and experience of a thirty-year-old man inside the body of a young child, Noctis was able to get away with many things in order to learn what he wanted. Ever since overhearing Regis with Titus, Noctis made sure to show a childish, yet heightened interest in the Kingsglaive. Regis, seeming proud that his son wanted to learn about his soldiers and their works, was happy to bring Noctis to the Kingsglaive’s training area one day. 

It was a building built to accommodate the constant warping of the soldiers around the building, either practicing or sparring. There were barracks from the Glaives to sleep since half of the soldiers were immigrants from the outlying countries of Lucis that had been destroyed by the Empire.

Many starred as Noctis walked in behind his father. The small part of the child in him wanted to clutch to his father’s robe from the sheer pressure of everyone staring at him. The larger part of him that was a King told him to walk tall and avoid their stares. Regis led them to one of the main training arenas and let Noctis sit beside him as two of the older soldiers made their way to the center of the sparring area.

Noctis looked up from his seat at the higher placed seats that allowed for a better view of the arena. Noctis tugged slightly on his father’s sleeve and Regis turned to face him.

“Can I sit up there?” Noctis asked as he pointed at the higher seats.

“But won’t you want a closer seat in order to see everything?” Regis asked and was surprised as Noctis shook his head.

“I think I’ll see better up there.” 

Regis looked between the seats and Clarus before sighing. “Yes, but make sure I can still see you.” 

Noctis smiled and quickly stood, taking the stairs two at a time in order to reach the last row of seats faster. He found a seat that allowed him a full view of the arena and the areas around it. The spar had begun, but Noctis wasn’t paying attention. His gaze was looking over the surrounding training areas, especially the ones that had the least amount of security cameras trained on them. The one that caught his eye was in the far back corner of the building, with only one camera trained on part of it. A few young refugees were playing around in the area, some actually brandishing wooden swords and sparring together. Noctis smiled at his findings and the young children’s antics. Another step of his plan was complete, only a thousand more to complete.

****

Noctis groaned as his alarm clock rang. He rolled over in his bed and quickly turned it off, looking at the still dark sky through the window. He stretched carefully, following the routine he created to not irritate his back. He stifled a yawn as he got out of bed and threw on some black shorts and his black hoodie. He slipped on his sneakers before going to his bedroom door and placing his ear against the wood. He waited one second, two, three. Two pairs of footsteps retreated and Noctis quickly opened the door. He closed it quietly and looked down the hall to see the two receding forms of his guards. Three seconds and the next pair would arrive. Noctis focused on the ajar door down the hall and summoned his magic. A small flash of blue and he was in the other room, two shadows passing by the open door and the new guards made their way to the post in front of Noctis’ room.

Noctis sighed heavily, leaning against the wall of the empty room, a room that was once used as a guest room when guests actually came to visit the palace. Noctis wiped some sweat from his brow, due to the overexertion of the Crystal’s energy, and heading towards the balcony in the room. He stepped out and felt the chill air hit his skin. He focused on the Crystal again, pushing aside the exhaustion that wanted to overtake his body and focused on the Kingsglaive’s training area. In a flash he was there, in front of the building that was in his line of sight from the balcony he previously stood on.

Noctis pried the door open and headed in, keeping to the walls and shadows in order to avoid the cameras. He made his way to the back training area he had seen that morning. After making a mental note of where the camera began to see the area, Noctis set up an area for him to practicing attack moves and short warping distances without the camera seeing him.

Noctis let his Engine Blade materialize in his hand, a comfortable sigh escaping his lips at the feeling. It made everything seem normal for a small second. That feeling suddenly faded away as Noctis turned to the dummy leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes, focusing on everything around him with his other senses rather than his sight. When he opened his eyes, the red returned to his irises. He adjusted the grip on his sword and stepped forward in a spark of blue.


	4. High School, Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so it seems I already can’t keep up a consistent posting schedule, my bad. I promise the next update will be on Saturday. until then, enjoy :)

It baffled Noctis how he had gone three years without anyone becoming too suspicious of his antics. The amount of books he checked out at the library continued to grow as well as the time he spent in his room. The map of Eos he had started on three years ago was now covered in either bold red Xs or dotted lines mapping car routes. There were also markings that pointed out where Imperial blockades and forts would be placed in the future. 

In the three years since Noctis’ incarnation, there was a new factor in his already hectic life that, after a tremendous amount of research, he wish didn’t exist.

Some nights, when Noctis was very stressed or exhausted, the moon would cast a white glow upon Insomnia. It would glow for a few seconds before receding with a blue tint before it disappeared completely. Noctis made the smart decision of researching this odd glow before speaking to his father about it. It was called “the light” by most of the books he read. It was said to be seen only by those who have gone through a near death experience. The light comes from when Etro, the Goddess of Death, opens her doors to let near souls into her kingdom. These souls being of those who have died.

Noctis didn’t understand why he could see this light now, and why he couldn’t see it in his first life. He was slightly grateful he couldn’t the first time, because the light would have shone all through the night when Insomnia fell.

Tonight was no exception as the light shown again, causing Noctis to wake and not fall back to sleep. After watching the light disappear after staying in the sky for a few minutes, Noctis reached under his bed and pushed aside piles of clothing and junk in order to reach the book he had bought about Etro. Apparently, she was the main goddess everyone worship, not Mother Eos. This was a stark change from his first life, the religion of worshipping Etro practically banned from Insomnia.

Noctis made his way through the pages of the book, writing notes in the margins as he went. Before he knew it, the sun was rising as another day began in Insomnia. At six on the dot, Noctis removing himself from his bed and began to get ready for school.

Noctis had thought that living through high school again would be literally hell, but he had forgotten one of the best parts. After bidding Ignis goodbye, Noctis exited the Regalia only to be suddenly attacked in a giant hug by his best friend, Prompto.

“Good morning Noct!” Prompto exclaimed as he slung his arm around Noctis’ shoulder as the two headed into the school.

Noctis chuckled slightly at his friends usual energetic behavior. “Morning Prompto.”

“You ready for the calculus test today?” Prompto asked just wanting to hear Noct groan like he did everyday they had a test.

“I didn’t study.” Noctis replied as the two walked down the hallway towards their first period class.

“You always say that, and yet you always ace the tests!” Prompto exclaimed as they entered the classroom and sat down at their desks in the far back of the classroom. 

Noctis was quite the stellar student in this lifetime. Granted, he had a set background of the information he would learn in high school, hence the high grades he got on his test without even studying. With extra time to spend instead of studying, Noctis made sure he spent more time with Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis whenever he could. He was very glad that their friendship was still existent. 

“Maybe I’ll mess up on purpose, just to make you feel better.” Noctis said as he leaned back in his chair. 

“Shut up!” Prompto whined and shoved Noctis’ arm. A small laugh left the prince’s lips as the teacher entered the room. The test were passed out and Noctis had to stifle a laugh at the distressed look on Prompto’s face. 

****

“You can come over tonight if you want to work on the chemistry homework.” Noctis said as he kicked a rock down the sidewalk.

“It’s okay man. I don’t want to impose.” Prompto said as he itched at his wrist, the one clad with a black band.

“You’re not imposing.” Noctis replied as he adjusted his backpack strap on his shoulder. “Just come over tonight. I’ll be sad if you don’t.” Noctis turned and pretending to pout as Prompto looked away. “Pretty please?”

Prompto looked at Noctis, a small smile forming on his face. “Ok, fine.”

Noctis smiled widely, wrapping his arm around Prompto’s shoulder as they continued their trek to the palace. 

Noctis did not have an apartment in this world. Since he had been so suspicious in his childhood, for obvious reasons, King Regis preferred to have Noctis living in the castle inside and around the King’s many eyes and ears around the Citadel. With Noctis’ living in the palace, he could understand why Prompto got so nervous about hanging out with him after school at the Citadel. Noctis’ father was much more strict about the relations between Insomnia and Nifelheim. Relations were tense and the hate for MTs was much larger and stronger than it was in Noctis’ first life. 

The two arrived at the Citadel and walked up the long staircase to the entrance. Prompto steps seemed to slow, and Noctis grabbed Prompto’s covered wrist and made sure he was walking in step with him. 

“Relax.” Noctis whispered as he dragged Prompto down the many halls until they reached him room. Noctis sent a small smile to Nyx as he stood guard in front of the Prince’s bedroom door. “Hey Nyx.”

“Your Highness.” Nyx bowed and sent a smile towards Prompto. “Hey Prompto!”

 

“Hey Nyx.” Prompto waved shyly as Noctis dragged Prompto into the room before the door shut behind him. 

Noctis threw his backpack onto the bed before flopping down on the unmade sheets. Prompto followed suit, placing his bag down against the bed frame before laying down beside Noctis.

“Maybe we should play some video games before we study.” Noctis said, staring at the ceiling. He felt Prompto sit up, leaning on his elbow. Noctis looked at Prompto, a grin spread across his face. “You know, to give our brains a break.”

Prompto smiled back as Noctis stood and moved to turn on the gaming console. “I think that’s an amazing idea.”

They played video games for a few hours before there was a knock on the door. The two froze, Noctis throwing his controller across the room and scrambling to grab his chemistry homework before the door opened. Sadly, Noctis was sprawled across the bed as Prompto had flung himself to the floor in order to rifle through their bookbags when Ignis walked into the room. Ignis and Noctis made eye contact as Noctis pulled a spiral from his bag. Noctis glanced down at Prompto, who quickly pulled out a folder and heaved himself back onto the bed.

“And that is kinetic energy in action.” Noctis said as he randomly opened the notebook. Prompto nodded as if he had just learned something, but Ingis just shook his head, unamused.

“Lots of studying, I suppose?” Ignis asked and Prompto quickly replied.

“Yeah of course. What else would we be doing?” A forced laugh left his lips and Noctis had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

“I wouldn’t want to know.” Ignis said as he placed the manilla folders that were in his arms on Noctis’ desk. “Your meeting notes from today. Please review them.”

“You’ve got it Specs.” Noctis said as he slid off the bed and immediately retrieved the folders. Another new thing from his old life, an actual interest in politics.

“When you are finished with those, His Majesty would like to speak with you.” 

Noctis stopped flipping through the pages in the folders, turning to look at Ignis.

“Did he give a time?”

“Not exactly.” Ignis said carefully. “But judging by the urgency in his voice, I believe it would be wise to see him as soon as possible.”

Noctis sighed, placing the folders back on his desk. “Thanks Iggy.” Noctis stepped in front of the mirror on his wall, straightening out his clothing and fixing his hair. “When I get back Prompto, we will actually study.”

“Fine with me.” Prompto said as he leaned back on Noctis’ bed while staring at his phone. Noctis smiled at his two friends and exiting his room, heading for his father’s study. 

Nervousness was filling Noctis with every step he took towards his father’s office and he didn’t understand why. The moonlight shining through the windows casting an eerie shadow on every item in the Citadel wasn’t helping either. He was just down the hall from his father’s office when a bright light filled his vision, coming from the open window to his right. Noctis looked out at the night as “the light” claimed another life. It was beautifully tragic as Noctis put it. He let his gaze linger on the path where the light had been for a few moments before turning back to face the hall, only to see a figure standing in his way. He would have easily walked past the person, but the light blue glow around their body caused Noctis to stop and take in their appearance.

It was a girl with blonde hair reaching the small of her back. She wore a white top with a black skirt, her eyes an odd vibrant pink color. She didn’t say a word, just tilted her head slightly as if she was observing Noctis. He reached out to touch her, but his hand slid right through her projected form. The girl’s eyes widened, as if just now realizing that he could see her. Noctis shook his head, blinking multiple times as if she would suddenly disappear. After a few failed attempts, Noctis stepped through her. He turned and she was gone and Noctis convinced himself that it was all in his head. Too many hours of video games. 

He had made it all the way to the study door, his hand around the door knob when the blue glow appeared on top of his hand. He looked to his side to see the girl again, her face filled with worry as her hand rested on top of his. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, gently shaking her head, telling him no, as if to tell him to not go into the room.

“Why not?” He whispered to her. “Who are you?”

She didn’t answer, just shook her head. Noctis sighed, squeezing his eyes shut so tight he saw white spots. Without opening his eyes, he pushed open the office door. He looked up and saw only his father, not the ethereal figure, and stepped into the room.

“My son.” Regis said, an odd seriousness in his voice. “Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss.”


	5. Books and Bullets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay, we finally get to meet Nyx! I hope you guys like this new chapter! until next time, enjoy :)

_One Year Earlier_

 

Noctis’ alarm went off just like it had for the past two years, the sky still dark and the sound of receding footsteps meeting his ears. He was quick to make his way down the path he took every day, warping in front of the Kingsglaive building. He stuck to the shadows, heading to the back where the cameras couldn’t see him. The dummy he left from the night before hadn’t been put away since some of the younger children of the Glavie’s had probably played with it earlier in the day. Noctis called for his Engine Blade, ready to go through the motions of his stretches and beginning exercises before he would decide to try some new parrying motions he learned from watching Clarus train a few days ago. He had just finished stretching when the door to the training area creaked open. Noctis froze, his Engine Blade shifting in his hand. He stepped back so he was hidden in the shadows, away from the sliver of moonlight that lit his little portion of the room.

A set of footsteps grew closer as Noctis tried to literally mold himself into the wall. His intentions of hiding changed, though, when he noticed a hooded figure with a dagger in his hand heading towards Noctis’ special training area. Noctis shifted his feet and grabbed his sword with both hands. Once the hooded figure turned around, Noctis warped forward and tackled the figure to the ground. The figure shifted, his back against the ground and Noctis’ brought his sword to the assailant's neck.

“I would suggest not moving.” Noctis said, even though it seemed like a weak threat coming from a fourteen-year-old.

“Prince Noctis?”

Noctis had not expected the man below him to sound scared, and when Noctis moved his head so the figure's face was not overshadowed, he could see the fear and sudden worry in his eyes. As well, he could see his face.

“Nyx?” Noctis immediately got off the Kingsglaive trainee, stepping back a few paces to put some distance between them. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” Nyx pushed himself off the ground, wiping off some of the dirt and dust. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Shouldn’t you?” Noctis retorted.

“Okay, so we are both where we are not supposed to be,” Nyx stated, pushing down his hood as he stepped towards Noctis. Nyx put off an authoritative vibe, he was almost double Noctis’ age since he was about to turn twenty-six in a few months, but always had an informal side when it came to Noctis. “But that doesn’t explain how you got here and why you’ve been coming here for the past few months.”

Noctis froze. It had definitely been more than a few months, but Nyx’s words confirmed that someone had been watching him. “You won’t tell my dad, right?”

Nyx seemed to consider the idea before visibly relaxing. “Nah.”

Noctis sighed, his sword disappearing in his hand as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Thank you, Nyx.”

“But-”

Noctis visible stiffened, his eyes pleading for Nyx to drop the matter.

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you alone in here.” 

Noctis raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Nyx strolled over to the side wall, grabbing two wooden swords. He turned, tossing one to Noctis who barely caught it. “What I mean is that I’m going to help you train. Good practice for both of us, right?”

Noctis smiled, adjusting his grip on the sword. “Just don’t cross the line in the sand. The cameras will see us.”

Nyx turned around to see the line drawn in the course ground about four yards behind him. “Don’t cross the line. Got it.”

Nyx gripped his sword, pointing it out towards Noctis. The younger nodded before surging forward in a cloud of blue light.

 

_Present Time_

Noctis gasped as his body slammed into the ground, the wind effectively knocked out of him. He groaned as he rolled over, pushing himself off the ground and grabbing his Engine Blade which had slid from his hand. He blew some loose hair out of his face, the sweat matting some of the hair to his forehead.

“Again!” Regis yelled for the umpteenth time, flipping a switch in the command center of the training course Noctis was currently in.

Noctis heaved an aggravated sigh as he started the training cycle again, dodging the pellet bullets, “meant to harm, not kill”, as they flew at him from all sides. He tried to keep himself off the ground as long as he could, knowing if he stayed on the ground for more than a few seconds, the metal doors would open to reveal training dummies that were programmed to attack.

Noctis felt a bullet hit his arm, definitely leaving a bruise, and fell to the ground. The impact spread the pain like electricity through his whole body. He groaned in pain as his rough and cut up hands pushed himself off the ground, only to feel something impact his body and he was flying back onto the ground again.

The dummy brandished a wooden sword, but that didn’t mean it was less painful when the wood came in contact with Noctis. Noctis called forth his Engine Blade, dodging the attacks by warping behind the machine. Once he was sure the machine couldn’t turn fast enough, Noctis surged forward and blindsided the dummy, his sword piercing through the metal and the dummy slowly turned off. Noctis ripped his sword out of the dummy and allowed the machine to crumble into a heap on the ground.

Noctis groaned in pain as he felt a laceration down his back and the bruise on his arm.

“Decent.” His father spoke, pushing a few buttons on the control panel, the guns from the side walls disappearing and the lighting becoming brighter. “That’s enough for today.”

Noctis held back the urge to roll his eyes as he dismissed his blade and exited the arena. He was stopped by Cor, who handed him a drink in a black and blue container.

“Drink.” He simply commanded and Noctis replied with little hesitation. It had become a routine, his urge to spit the drink back up slowly subsiding until he now finally drank the mixture with no pushback. What was inside the vial, he wasn’t sure. It was definitely from the crystal, it had similar healing powers, but it seemed to have something else. Something that was modifying his body to alter the way his body endured pain and extensive stress. Obviously, he didn't figure this out on his own. Ignis ran some test behind a few official backs and Noctis owed him yet again.

“You have a meeting with your father tonight.” Cor said as Noctis handed him back the empty vial. He could already feel the magic surging through him, the bruise on his arm not hurting as much. “As well, there will be a council meeting in three hours. Your father wants you to attend.”

Noctis hummed in agreement, grabbing his jacket from one of the guards. “Council then father, got it.” He placed his fist over his heart, and Cor mimicked the action, bowing to the Prince.

“Don’t be late.”

“I won’t.”

 

When Noctis reached his room, he was shocked to find all three of his friends sitting around the small table in the corner of his room.

“Noctis, please have a seat.” Ignis said, his eyes not moving from the newspaper in front of him.

“Please tell me this is not an intervention.”

“This is not an intervention.” Gladiolus Amicitia, Noctis’ shield, said almost too quickly. Noctis shifted his gaze to Prompto, who just messed with his wristband like he always did when he was nervous.

“Sure it's not.” Noctis hissed in pain when he sat down, drawing Ignis’ attention to his liege.

“Are you okay?” Ignis immediately put down the newspaper, his gloved hands instinctively laying against Noctis’ back and pushing him forward lightly so Noctis could reveal the wound to Ignis.

“Rough training.” Noctis flinched when Ignis’ fingers touched his wound.

“Whatever they have been giving you should be healing you.” Ignis removed his hands from Noctis and Noctis leaned back slightly. Noctis shrugged at Ignis’ observation, instead moving his attention to the stack of books he previously missed sitting by Prompto’s chair.

“Now what is this for?” Noctis asked. Surprisingly, Prompto was the first one to speak.

“We’re worried about you, buddy.”

“This is an intervention!”

“Would you shut up for two seconds?” Gladio said coolly. “Please?”

Noctis nodded as Ignis leaned over and picked the first book from the pile. _The Goddess Etro and the History of Eos_. He slid the book towards Noctis, who tentatively picked it up.

“Are you worried about my reading habits?”

“Not your reading habits. We are worried about why you insist on reading about these, these-” Ignis was cut off by Gladio as the shield tossed another book onto the table. _The Curse of the Lucis Caelum Line_.

“These fairytales.” Gladio sighed and Noctis looked over the book, a phantom pain shooting through his chest. “You’re going to be king one day, you shouldn’t be dwelling on stupid stories purposely pulled from the public.”

Noctis chuckled lightly as he nodded to the other books. “So, what other books do you think are bad for me?”

Ignis sighed at the way Noctis was reacting to the situation as Prompto put the books on the table. Noctis reached for the top of the stack and spread the three other books out in front of him.

_Cosmogony: The Astrals Origins_ , _History of the Royal Arms_ , and finally, _The Light From Above: Goddess Etro’s Gift to Mankind?_

Noctis’ hand froze over the third book, tentatively picking it up. When his fingers touched the pages, it was if a sort of electricity shot through his body, and suddenly the blonde girl with the pink eyes was standing behind Ignis. She nodded towards the book as if urging Noctis to open it. 

“Noct?” Prompto asked as he noticed his best friend’s far off look. “You okay?”

“I didn’t check out this book.” Noctis said as he opened the book, the words in a different language.

“Pardon?” Ignis said as he leaned forward.

“Someone put this here,” Noctis said. “But it’s in a different language.”

Gladio sighed heavily, snapping Noctis’ gaze away from the book. “See, this is what we are talking about! It’s all going to your head, they’re just legends, stories told to kids when they go to sleep.” 

“They're real.” Noctis said, a sudden seriousness to his voice. Everyone stilled as Noctis’ hand ghosted over the pages of the book. “Tell me, if you had the chance to live your life all over again, what would you do?”

“Noct, what are you-” Prompto began but Noctis slammed the book shut and Prompto shut up as well.

“What would you do?”

“I would correct all my mistakes,” Gladio said as he stared down Noctis. “Make everything that was wrong, right.”

“Exactly.” Noctis stood, the book still in his hand, even as they shook. He sighed, taking in a deep breath as he looked past his friends at the blonde girl. “So don’t ask me why I read these books again. That is your answer.”

He walked out, leaving his friends more confused than before.

 

Noctis headed to the council meeting, his nerves on edge as his father sent him unsettling gazes throughout the entire meeting. Once it was over, he headed with his father to the King’s office, taking a seat across the desk from his father.

“Son, do you remember when I called you into my office a few weeks ago and I talked about your new training schedule?”

Noctis nodded, his eyes following his father’s hands as they dug through a drawer and pulled out a manila folder.

“On your sixteenth birthday, you will be improving this schedule. Since we started your training late, we are going to have to speed up your timetable.”

Regis slid the folder across the desk, turning it so it was facing Noctis.

“What do you mean?” Noctis said as he opened the folder, looking at the contract that sat inside. There were two signature spots at the bottom, one for Regis and one for Noctis. He quickly skimmed the contract, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

Regis stood, moving to stand behind his son. “Don’t worry.” Regis placed a hand on Noctis’ shoulder, squeezing it a little too much for it to be comforting. “You will, in due time.”


	6. A Change in the Timeline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another week, another chapter. I hope you guys like this one, sorry it's so short. fair warning: the next few chapters are gonna be kinda short but I promise I will make up for it. until next time, enjoy!

"Did you sign it?” The question left Prompto’s mouth before he thought, his hand flinging up to cover his mouth. “Sorry, that’s none of my business.”

"No, it’s okay,” Noctis responded as he shifted his gaze from Prompto to his other two friends. “I didn’t sign it. I asked to bring it back here with me so I could read over it thoroughly.”

Noctis reached into his backpack and pulled out the stack of papers that held all the terms for the contract that would be active on the day of his sixteenth birthday. Gladio let out a low whistle at the sheer amount of papers. Ignis immediately adjusted his glasses so he could properly read the small print of the contract.

"This is very detailed and...extensive.” Ignis said as he continued to analyze the contract. “Extensive training, field missions, diet changes, political excursions. There is so much in here that is above your position at the age of sixteen.”

"I don’t want to sign it.” Noctis suddenly said, Ignis’ hand freezing at it went to turn the page. “But I don’t think I have a choice.”

Ignis sighed, his hand moving to rest on Noctis’ shoulder as it rubbed small circles into his skin. “I am afraid you had no choice to begin with.”

Noctis ended up reviewing the whole contract with Ignis well into the night. It became harder and harder for him to school his expression after each clause. The details were scarer the second time looking over them. It seemed to be a much more serious situation now that Noctis had read through the fine print. It was as if Noctis was signing away his life, and that was something he didn’t want to lose again. By the time they were done and Ignis had bid him a good night, Noctis had just enough time to make it to the restroom before upheaving everything in his stomach. The phantom pain returned to his chest and his hands began to shake. He pushed himself up against his bathroom wall, closing his eyes and practically seeing the small official text fly by in a rushed manner behind his eyelids. It gave him a migraine and caused him to feel as if everything was spiraling out of control. He needed to relieve his stress.

Noctis pushed himself up slowly and rinsed his mouth out before heading out into his bedroom in order to find his phone. He sat down on his bed and pushed his messy hair out of his eyes as he sent a quick text to a certain Kingsglaive. Noctis quickly changed and exited his bedroom to the balcony with his contract in hand. He began his familiar path to the Kingsglaive training arena under the cover of the night. He made his way to the small secluded area that had become his secret training area with Nyx. Nyx was sitting on a small bench, his feet tracing random patterns into the sand.

“Your Highness.” Nyx stood as Noctis arrived, bowing slightly. “Are you okay? Your text was not very specific.”

"I’m just...conflicted.” Noctis said as he sat down next to where Nyx was previously seating.

“How so?” Nyx asked as he sat once again, his body shifting slightly so he could focus entirely on the teenage Prince.  Noctis just sighed and dropped the contract into Nyx’s lap.

“I don’t know what to do.” Noctis’ voice was weak and slightly hoarse from the rough vomiting earlier in the night.

Nyx was silent as he looked over the contract, his constant page flipping stopping as he paused on one of the latter pages. “Noctis, this is-”

“A lot.” Noctis chuckled then groaned. “It’s bad.”

“Testing. This says they want to run tests on you.” Nyx sounded concerned or frightened, Noctis couldn’t tell. It was probably both.

“Technically, they want to run tests on me after putting those healing vials through my body. And then they want to test different variations of the ‘medicine’.”

“You can’t sign this.” Nyx said his tone firm. Noctis went to speak, but Nyx reached out and gripped Noctis’ arm. “Prince Noctis, I am telling you as a protector and as a friend, you cannot sign this contract.”

Noctis looked down at Nyx’s hand wrapped around his arm and the set determination in his eyes and sighed sadly. For the first time that night, Noctis cried.

Nyx didn’t know what to do as the tears ran down Noctis’ face. In the years he had known the Prince, he had never seen him cry. As they had grown closer, Noctis had slowly started to open up, but he always had a quiet persona to him. Nyx didn’t know how to react to this vulnerable side of Noctis; the side that showed that he was still just a kid. Nyx did what he thought was right, what he would do when his sister was sad. He pulled Noctis into a hug and held the sobbing boy until he was tired and out of tears to shed. Noctis sniffled loudly as he slowly peeled himself off of Nyx.

“Sorry.” He mumbled as he wiped his nose on his hoodie sleeve.

“Don’t apologize.” Nyx said as he ruffled Noctis’ hair. “I would have been more concerned if you _didn’t_ cry.”

Noctis chuckled slightly as he wiped his eyes again. “I’m going to have to sign the contract. I don’t think I have a choice.”

The tension was back and it was still thick. Nyx could barely breathe.

“But-” Noctis paused as he looked Nyx straight in the eyes. He could see the eyes of his friend, but deep below he could see the eyes of the hero who saved Luna’s life in the world he no longer lived in. He could trust Nyx, even with the real truth of his life. “I think we could play the system.”

“We?” Nyx said.

“Yeah, us.” Noctis explained. “There are things that even my father doesn’t know about me. Things I will never be able to tell anybody as long as I live.”

Nyx seemed confused, but Noctis could tell he was trying to understand.

“I’m cursed, Nyx. Destined to die no matter what I do, whether I sign this contract or not. This place, this kingdom we live in, is just a chess piece in Etro’s game.”

“I don’t follow.” Nyx said.

Noctis sighed, his hand moving to rest on Nyx’s shoulder. “You don’t have to. You just have to understand one thing. Can you do that?”

Nyx didn’t immediately answer and Noctis understood. His mind was probably reeling with all the cryptic information Noctis just fed him.

“Yes, I can.” Nyx’s answer was firm, as firm as the grip Noctis had on the Glaive’s shoulder.

“No matter what happens, no matter what my father says or anyone else in this place says, you have to promise me one thing. Promise me you will save her and you will save yourself. No matter what, Nyx, you must save her. You can’t come back for me, you are not allowed to save me. Do you understand?”

Nyx’s eyes softened. “Noct-”

“Promise me! Please.” Noctis exclaimed, his gaze teary.

“I promise.” Nyx said. “But, who is the girl I must save?”

Noctis smiled at his response, his hand dropping from Nyx’s shoulder. “The Princess of Tenebrae.”

“Oh, Princess Stella?”

Noctis’ throat went dry. That wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.

"I’m sorry, Princess who?”


	7. The Girl With The Pink Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve seen that y’all have been wondering about Stella. welp, here is your first taste. until next time, enjoy! :)

Princess Stella. She was the Princess of Tenebrae. Luna didn’t exist.

It took a few days for the information to fully process through Noctis’ head. In those few days, many things had happened. For one, Noctis had visited his father and signed the dreaded contract, the one that practically sold away his soul.

It had been extremely tense in his father’s office, the only sound being the scrapping of the pen against the parchment of the contract. The clock ticking was the only thing signalling time was actually passing, that Noctis wasn’t stuck in an endless loop of his signature being shakingly written on the contract with his heart clenching painful in his chest. When he had finished signing, he turned the contract around to face his father and slid it towards the King. He father smiled, a different smile from when he was younger. It had no longer warm, his eyes didn’t turn upward and smile with him. It seemed forced, almost menacing. He stood, moving to stand behind Noctis before placing a hand on his shoulder. Noctis sunk under the weight, curling in slightly under the affirmative gaze of his father.

“I am glad you came to this decision, Noctis.” King Regis said as he squeezed Noctis’ shoulder. The words sounded forced, just like the rest of his actions. “You are going to change the world, my son.”

Noctis didn’t know how to respond simply because he didn’t know what his father meant. So, he just nodded.

“I’ll do my best.”

Secondly, he was being put through different meetings to discuss party preparations for his sixteenth birthday. Sixteen was a very important age in Lucis now. Ignis was continuously stressing the importance of the party and the “initiation celebration” that was to be done at the stroke of midnight. This “initiation” was apparently a rite of passage for those born into the royal line. It was when Noctis would put on the Ring of Lucis for the first time and receive a blessing from the Crystal. It was a confusing concept for Noctis and a scary one as well, for the last time he had been in contact with the Crystal, he was stuck inside of it for ten years. Ignis had dropped off many different books and materials for Noctis to look over after he offhandedly mentioned that he had no clue of what the initiation was.

“What do you mean when you say you don’t know?” Gladio had asked as the four friends were lounging in Noctis’ bedroom, many library books scattered around the bed.

“That’s a pretty dumb question, even for you.” Noctis shot back without even looking up from the book he was reading.

“Noctis, please just answer the question.” Ignis said as he pushed his glasses up his face slightly.

Noctis sighed, folding the top corner of his book slightly in order to bookmark it before closing it and tossing it in front of him on the bed. “I just don’t know what it is. My father hasn’t mentioned it.”

Obviously, that was a lie. His father wouldn’t shut up about the importance of the initiation, but he never went into detail about what it was.

“The initiation is fulfilled by every royal member of the Lucis Caelum bloodline.” Ignis began as he handed Noctis a book. _The Royal Becomings of the Lucis Caelum Line_. “On their sixteenth birthday, they will put on the Ring of Lucis and commune in Reflection with the Crystal. Once this is done, the royal heir will receive the Crystal’s blessing and be given a certain ability which will mark their rule of Lucis.”

Noctis nodded as he skimmed through the pages of the book before slamming it shut suddenly, causing Prompto to jolt in his chair, having started to nod off to sleep.

“Yeah, I think I get that part, but I still don’t understand how the Crystal can bless me.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“I mean, the Crystal is an object, not a person.”

There was silence, and Ignis and Gladio shared a slight side-eyed look to each other, one that Noctis had come to decipher as their apprehension of Noctis’ metal health.

“Although it hasn’t never been spoken off in books or writings, supposedly there is a person who is inside the Crystal and ultimately controls its powers. They are in charge of granting the Lucis Caelum Line with their full abilities and use of the Crystals powers.”

Well, that was new. It didn’t come as too much of a surprise to Noctis who had gotten used to bizarre new things in this world. He picked up the newly acquired book again, looking at the drawn images of the Crystal and the section on initiation.

“Your dad hasn’t told you anything about this?” Prompto asked as he seemed to now be paying attention to the conversation.

Noctis scoffed, looking over at his best friend. “My dad and I don’t have casual conversations anymore.”

Prompto’s eyes filled with concern, a look that made Noctis’ heart break. He didn’t want to hurt his friends and have their feelings hurt just because he was sad. He had already messed up once, he wasn’t going to mess up again.

“Don’t worry about it though.” Noctis stood, moving to the chair Prompto was in and shoving his friend to the side so they could sit together and Noctis could pull the blond into a side hug. “I’ve got you guys, and that’s all that matters.”

If only Noctis could see the hesitation in some of their eyes.

The last, and probably most annoying thing to happen, was that Etro’s light was become the biggest nuisance to his sleep schedule.

After a long day of training, meetings, school work, and side research on Stella, Noctis had finally dragged himself into his room in order to get the precious sleep he needed. He took a quick shower and was in the process of brushing his teeth when a bright light shown through his bedroom window. He groaned at the sight, spitting his toothpaste into the sink and moving over to stand by the window.

His annoyance quickly faded as he remembered the real reason for the light. Someone had just died. It was always a sobering fact for Noctis as he bowed his head and quickly prayed to the poor family who had just lost someone.

“It’s very saddening isn’t it?”

Noctis almost screamed as the light female voice filled his room. He shot around quickly, his Engine Blade materializing in his hand and he went to attack the intruder in his room. He suddenly froze as his sword went through the person standing behind him...literally. It was the ghost like girl that Noctis had been seeing for almost two years now, but she had never spoken before.

The blonde girl with the pink eyes. That is what Noctis had been calling her ever since she first appeared, but as of recent he had finally learned her name.

Princess Stella Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae. 


	8. A Better Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! this is gonna be the last kinda short chapter until next week’s much longer chapter. hopefully this will suffice for now. until next time, enjoy! :)

“You can talk?” Noctis asked, his breath light, almost a whisper. He called his Engine Blade back into the armiger as he stepped away from  ~~ ghost  ~~ Stella, his back hitting the window.

Stella laughed lightly, moving so she was sitting at the foot of Noctis’ bed. “Obviously I can talk. You just weren’t ready to listen yet.”

“What does that mean?” Noctis asked, a question that seemed to be tossed around a lot lately.

“You are looking for answers.” Stella said, her hands drawing back to push her hair out of her face. “This world is a mirage. It looks like your old home, it sounds like it, it has your friends and family. But it’s different. There’s a darkness to it that seems to drive out the warmth you knew and cause a cold to surround you. You’re lost.”

Noctis stepped forward, tentatively moving to the other side of the bed in order to sit down across from Stella. “How do you know about that?”

“I know a lot about you Noctis.” Stella said, her eyes meeting Noctis’ as a pink hue colored her eyes. There was a swirl of the pink color, a shot of heat rushing through Noctis’ viens, and suddenly he was standing on a beach. The water lapped up to his ankles, soaking his black Crownsguard boots and causing sand to stick to his skin.

“Where are we?” Noctis asked as a light breeze pushed his unruly black hair out of his face. Stella stood beside him, her hair up in a tight bun on the top of her head, a few stray pieces of hair fluttering in the wind. She was wearing the same white blouse and black skirt she always wore, though now her bare feet dug into the soft sand.

“Where do you think we are?” She simply asked as she kicked up some water.

Noctis paused for a second, breathing in the salty air. He remembered this place. It felt like ages since he was last here, on a journey so innocent at a time he was so naive. 

“Galdin Quay.” He mumbled as he began to fully assess his surroundings. There were people eating at the beach side tables while others sat in the sand, watching as their children laughing and splashed water at each other. There was chatter from the parking lot where people were refilling their gas tanks or talking to the shop owner selling fishing supplies. “I don’t understand, how are we here?”

Stella smiled, grabbing Noctis’ hand and dragging him towards the stairs that led to the parking lot. “Technically, we aren’t. This is a memory, yours to be exact.” Stella stopped them by the worn cork board that held different WANTED signs for creatures, turning to look out as a familiar black car drove down the steeping road towards the parking lot. “Does that look familiar?”

“The Regalia.” A huge smile broke out on Noctis’ face as the car came closer. Once the car was in sight, four figures could be seen sitting in the car. Ignis, who was currently driving, backed into the parking spot before prompting the others to exit the vehicle. Prompto excitedly ran towards the railing of the peer in order to take pictures. Gladio and Ignis looked back as they followed Prompto as a twenty year old Noctis dragged behind, rubbing sleep from out of his eyes.

Fifteen year old Noctis watched as his previous self and his friends carried on light conversation, heading down the peer towards The Mother of Pearl.

“We were so happy.” Noctis said as he watched the figures disappear. “We had no clue what was going to happen. We were just glad to be out of the city’s walls, seeing the world.”

“You didn’t know.” Stella said, pushing herself off the railing in order to turn back towards the ocean. “Your fate was predestined by the gods, who are pretty selfish if I’m being honest.”

Noctis raised a brow at Stella’s statement. “And you would know how?”

Stella’s light laugh filled the air and drifted away with the breeze and she smiled slightly. “That is a conversation for another time. The one we need to have now is to answer your dying question.”

“And that question is?” Noctis inquired as he watch the sun begin to set, splashes of orange, red, and yellow bleeding into the ocean as the sky began to darken.

“How are you alive, and who sent you to the new world you live in now.” Stella supplied.

“That is an important question.” Noctis scoffed. “And you must have the answer.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” Stella sighed. “It is a very long explanation, but I don’t have much time so I shall keep it brief. In short, I am the one that brought you back.”

Noctis turned quickly to look at the girl, his eyes wide. “You? How?”

“I can’t say. In due time you shall know. For now, you must understand that the world you live in now is much different from the one you came from. The gods are different, I think you have noticed that.”

“Etro.” Noctis explained. “She’s extremely important in Insomnia now. Before, we couldn’t even utter her name.”

“Even so, there is a common enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy you.”

As if on cue, a heavily clothed figure with auburn hair and a fedora sauntered down the peer away from Galdin Quay. He walked past the two without a glance and got into his old red car. A scowl formed on Noctis’ face as Ardyn drove away.

“So Ardyn is still going to be a pain in my ass?”

“Very much so.” 

Noctis groaned, clenching his fist as his nails dug into his skin. “As if I didn’t have enough problems.”

“As well, you must be careful where you place your trust. Your friends might look the same, but they may not be those who you left behind at the foot of the Citadel all those years ago.”

Noctis nodded solemnly. His friends viewed him differently, that was for sure. He had Nyx now, something like a brother to him. And his father, well, his father was a whole other story. 

“Noctis.”

Noctis turned to look at Stella, her eyes now a soft purple. 

“You must know that I am here to help you, no matter what. My allegiance is with you, Oh King of Kings. No matter what, if you need me, I’ll be there.”

“Thank you Stella.” Noctis said as the girl smiled.

“Now, let’s get you home.”

Noctis locked eyes with Stella once more, and with one last look at the clear water of Galdin Quay, a warmth spread through his body once again as his eyes fluttered shut.

When he opened them, he was back in his room and Stella was nowhere to be seen.


	9. Puzzle Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok just as I promised, a longer chapter!   
> I should put a trigger warning here because there are references and small scenes of child abuse/violence (but nothing too graphic). if you are not comfortable with that, then please don’t read this chapter!!!!!  
> otherwise, I hope you guys enjoy!! :)

He hadn’t seen Stella in over a week, not that he had fully noticed. His sixteenth birthday was in two days and all he could focus on was having to commune in Reflection. It was a terrifying thought, every time the subject was brought up he would forget how to breathe, his chest burning from imaginary steel piercing it. 

Noctis walked behind Ignis towards the throne room,  _ The Light From Above: Goddess Etro’s Gift to Mankind?  _ open in his hands as he narrowly avoided servants bustling around trying to prepare for the party.

Ignis suddenly stopped, turning around and snatching the book from Noctis’ hands.

“Can you please pay attention to where you are walking? You can read later.” Ignis glanced at the open pages as writings were scribbled in the margins and between the lines. They were mostly translations as Noctis was somehow learning the dead language from which it came from called Etro Script. There was very little context on translation, but Noctis was seeming to figure it out on his own each night the light shown through his window. Ignis sighed before closing the book and stuffing it under his arm. “His Majesty wishes to speak with you about any last minute preparations. Afterwards, you are to report to training with Gladio.”

“Got it Specs.” Noctis said as he walked past the advisor, not before snagging his book back and hurrying into the throne room before Ignis could stop him.

The place was elegantly decorated with blacks, blues, and hints of gold. Workers moved around at lightning speed with plates stacked higher than their heads and handfuls of utensils to place on the multiple round tables that decorated the room. Some were on ladders, hanging streamers and tapestries of the Lucis Caelum line. At the front of the room was his father as he spoke with one of the party planners. Noctis moved through the crowd, being careful not to bump into any unsuspecting servants.

“Noctis!” King Regis exclaimed as he caught sight of his son. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” Noctis answered hesitantly. “You needed me?”

“Yes. I just wanted to run everything by you.” Regis took a small clipboard from the man next to him, a checklist of items marked on the paper. “Just in case we missed anything.”

Noctis took the clipboard from his father and looked over the supplies and numbers. There was another paper behind it. A guest list.

“How many people did you invite?” Noctis asked as he looked over not one, but three pages of names.

“A few hundred.” Regis shrugged and smiled slightly at Noctis’ shocked expression. “This is a very important day, son. Everyone will want to be there.”

Noctis nodded in understanding, looking to see if Prompto’s name was on the list. After seeing that it indeed was written down, he continued down the alphabetical list. His finger continued down the list, skimming over the names until he stopped over a certain name.

“Stella Nox Fleuret? The Nox Fleuret are coming?” Noctis asked as his voice tinged with worry.

“Of course. The Oracle and her family always come for the upcoming King’s initiation.” Regis said, his brow creasing slightly in worry. “I told you this Noctis.”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah.” Noctis recovered as he gripped his book tighter. “I just forgot.”

Regis nodded, grabbing his son’s shoulder and steering him towards the main entrance. “I know this is a very stressful time for you, but you must remember everything I’ve taught you. It will help you for when you become King.”

There was a hint of concern in the King’s voice, a hint of compassion. It was so different from how Noctis had been treated by his father in recent years, and it warmed his heart ever so slightly. “Yeah, I’ve got it dad.”

Noctis looked down at his phone as it buzzed, a message from Gladio wondering where he was.

“I’ve got to go. Training with Gladio.” Noctis waved his phone at his dad before putting it back in his pocket, his book still clutched to his chest by his other hand.

“Understood, be careful.” Regis said. “And cut back on the reading a little bit. You’re friends have voiced their concerns to me, and they are afraid those printed words are getting to your head.”

Noctis sighed, rolling his eyes. “Good to know.” He scoffed, turning around and opening the book while he walked away. 

 

That night when Noctis headed to the Kingsglaive’s training building, he had a different motive than just to train. Nyx was there first, stretching in the small spot of sand that was their safe haven. He immediately shot up when he saw Noctis, but didn't bow. Noctis had already said how he hating his friends bowing to him. They were his equals in his eyes.

“Good evening, Your Highness.”

“How are you, Nyx?” Noctis said as he sighed, sitting down in the sand with no true intention to stretch.

“I feel like I should be the one asking you that question.” Nyx moved to sit beside Noctis. “Your birthday is real soon. What do you want as a present?”

“You don’t need to get me anything.” Noctis replied, a small smile on his face. 

“What if I want to?” Nyx smirked. 

Noctis paused, looking back at Nyx as he picked up the training sword. “You already bought me something, didn’t you?”

“You know me so well kid.” Nyx messed with Noctis’ hair before grabbing his own practice sword, moving across from Noctis.

“Seriously, whatever you got me, return it. Save the money for whatever ramen you’ve been craving.” 

“You don’t get to talk about my eating habits.” Nyx stepped forward, aiming a wide swing towards Noctis who easily evaded, blue sparks outlining his frame.

“My eating habits aren’t any better.” Noctis gritted as Nyx kicked out, Noctis’ knee buckling. He rolled out of the way as Nyx brought the sword down where Noctis had previously been.

“Yeah, but at least I eat my vegetables.” Nyx stuck his tongue out towards Noctis, who in return warped behind the man and tackled him face down into the sand.

Their training had finished up, both men out of breath as sweat caused their clothes to cling to their skin.

“Hey Nyx, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” Noctis said as he brushed his hair out of his face. Maybe he should get a haircut? 

Nah.

“What’s up?” Nyx slung his bag over his shoulder, motioning for Noctis to walk with him.

“I wanted to ask you about your sister.” Noctis said, his words laced with worry and hesitation. He hadn’t heard much about the Glaive’s sister, but he knew in his past life the girl had died long ago. 

“What would you like to know?” Nyx said with a surprisingly calm voice. His body, however, was stiff.

“How is she? Is she…” Noctis trailed off, messing with the fringe at the edge of his hoodie sleeves.

“Alive?” Nyx asked as he turned around to walk backwards in front of Noctis. He stopped suddenly, his hand outstretched to grab Noctis’ shoulder and stop his movement. “Yeah.

There was a pause as the two stopped before the main entrance to the training grounds. This was usually where the two broke off: Nyx heading for the barracks while Noctis warped towards the unused balcony on his bedroom floor.

“I haven’t really talked about her.” Nyx said as he adjusted his bag. “Why the sudden interest?”

Noctis shrugged. In all honesty, he was trying to figure out the differences that continued to show up between his old world and his new one. He was just trying to figure out the puzzle pieces missing.

“I just wanted to make sure you were happy.” Noctis mumbled as he toed with the chipped rock on the ground. He missed Nyx’s giant grin and how his face lit up with compassion. He did feel Nyx pull him into a giant hug, crushing the prince against his body.

“You’re too kind, kid.” Nyx muttered as he squeezed Noctis one more time before letting him go.

Noctis smiled before stepping away from Nyx. “I better get going. Good night Nyx.”

Nyx paused before calling out for Noctis to wait as he struggled to open his backpack and pulled out a small parcel. “I almost forgot.”

“Nyx…” Noctis trailed off as he tried to hide his smile. “I said no presents.”

“When have I ever listened to you.” Nyx smirked as he dropped the package into Noctis’ hand.

“Happy Birthday Noct.”

Noctis removed the messy wrapping paper to reveal a small box. He opened it up to see a small earpiece laying in the middle of a square cushion. “What is it?”   


“So, the Glaive use these earpieces to communicate with each other on the field, ya know? And I thought, you and I can have one. No other channels, no officials listening in, just us.” Nyx explained as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I know it’s not much, but I thought it would be an easy way to reach each other when I’m out on the field.”

“Thank you Nyx.” Noctis said as he put the earpiece back in it’s box. He put the box in his pocket and pulled his hood over his head. He turned towards the door and paused one last time. “Hey Nyx?”

“Yeah?”

“Wear the earpiece during my party. Please.”

“Sure.” Nyx said. “But why? You wanna reach me when it’s time to ditch?”

Noctis laughed as he summoned his dagger. “Yeah, sure. Something like that.”

There was a flash of blue and Noctis was gone as Nyx headed in the opposite direction.

 

“Your party is in two days.” Stella said as she sat on the edge of Noctis’ bed. Etro’s light was shining towards the central hospital as Noctis stared out his window. 

“Don’t remind me.” Noctis groaned as he turned away from the window and flopped onto the bed. He shot his head up, narrowing his eyes at Stella. “Actually, that reminds me.”

He pushed himself up, turning to face Stella as he drew his legs up to sit criss-crossed in front of her. “How are you going to be there?”

Stella smiled knowingly. “I was wondering when you were going to ask.”

“You knew I was going to ask?”

“I know everything about you Noctis.”

Noctis rolled his eyes, but scooted closer to the girl. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

Stella sighed lightly. “It’s a very long story, one that is hard to follow.”

Noctis leaned back and looked over at his shoulder towards the clock on his nightstand. The red numbers read 3:43 am. He had training at eight the next morning. “I have time.”

Stella held out her hand instead of answering and Noctis understood. He took a deep breath and looked into Stella pink’s eyes as he grasped her hand. A heat shot through Noctis’ body but it wasn’t as scary as the first time. When Noctis opened his eyes, he was standing in Tenebrae, in the gardens where the empire had attacked and killed Luna’s mother in his world version one.

“I thought it would be easier to explain somewhere familiar to both of us.” Stella said as she sat down on the grass.

“What, my bedroom isn’t familiar enough?” Noctis asked as he moved to sit beside her.

Stella laughed, a light chime that rang throughout the empty forest. “Not quite.”

Stella looked up above them as a group of bluebirds passed by, their chirping growing dimmer the farther away they got.

“I used to come here when I was upset or scared.” Stella said. “This place was a safe haven, until it wasn’t.”

The world around the spun and suddenly it was night. They were still in the forest, but it was much louder. Noctis could hear footsteps, some light while others pounded heavy into the ground. There was yelling off in the distance, the kind that made your skin crawl and your hair stand on end.

“As you know, I can see the light. And the only way someone can see the light is-”

“If you have a near death experience.” Noctis said. He had never thought of it, never questioned how Stella had the same curse as him. He should have known.

“I was fairly young, probably nine or ten.” Stella looked to his left as a young girl burst from the tree line into their clearing. She had platinum blonde hair that was cut at her waist. She wore no shoes but was clad in a light pink nightgown that was way too thin to be worn in the chilly weather. The girl shivered as she stumbled forward towards the group of benches situated towards the right of the field.

“Is that you?” Noctis asked, but Stella didn’t answer. This answer Noctis did know.

The young Stella moved behind the bench and crouched down. She pulled her knees to her chest as she tried to make herself as small as possible. The heavy footsteps from earlier got louder and suddenly four heavily armed soldiers broke through the trees as the tranquil setting that once was there was suddenly destroyed.

The soldier’s mouths moved, but no words came out. Noctis was watching Stella’s memories, but there was suddenly no audio.

“I hated the empire. They imprisoned my people, tortured my brother. I might have been naive but I was not stupid.” 

The soldiers split up. Three of the four spread out and ran through the clearing, moving to the other side of the tree line and continuing their search into the forest. One soldier remained, moving very slowly as he seemed to call out for something. Noctis tried to read his lips and the only word he could make out was “Stella.”

“They were cruel. They would lock me in my room, refuse to give me meals, and force me to smile and act like everything was okay. One day they showed up and tried to take me to where my brother was, where they would run experiments on him. I guess I just lost it.”

Stella watched as the soldier got closer to her younger self’s hiding spot. Noctis noticed how young Stella trembled even more and he knew it wasn’t from the cold.

“I knew what would happen. If I went with them, I wouldn’t come out the same. I wasn’t extremely trained in magic, but I am proud to say I almost blinded a man with a luminous spell. It was enough for me to get away and run towards the wood. Of course, it wasn’t enough.”

Suddenly movement caused Noctis to look away from Stella. The soldier had found her younger self and grabbed the little girl’s arm. He tugged her out from behind the bench and roughly threw her to the ground. Young Stella tried to run as she pushed herself backwards away from the man. Noctis leaned forward onto his knees as if ready to run forward to stop him, but he couldn’t. This was a memory. The past. He couldn’t stop this.

Stella grabbed Noctis’ arm as he watched the soldier swing his fist down towards young Stella. The image in front of Noctis blurred, the colors mixing together. As soon as his visual cut out, the audio of the memory cut back in.

It was loud. So loud that Noctis had to cover his ears as high pitched screams of pain flooded his senses. There were sounds of fists meeting skin and the crushing of bones. A child’s cries echoed off the trees. Noctis crumbled in on himself. It became too much as the smell of blood met his nose. He could practically taste it on his tongue.

“They weren’t supposed to hurt me. Not yet anyways.” Stella spoke again, but her voice wasn’t as steady as before. She grabbed onto Noctis’ hands and pulled them away from his head. At once, the noises stopped, but not because Stella turned them off. 

Noctis looked back at the scene that was perfectly in focus now. On the ground laid young Stella, but you could barely tell. Her nightgown was stained in blood, her hair covered in mud and grass. Her face was bruised, her legs at odd angles. Her chest barely rose with the staggered breathes she was taking. It was quiet because she had stopped screaming.

The soldier stepped back before leaving completely, having not even cared that he had just almost murdered a child.

“I was supposed to die. There was no way I could live through that. Impossible.” Stella paused as she took in a deep breath. It was as if seeing her former self barely breathing made her breath stopped as well. “But Etro had different plans.”

There was a chill and the clouds seemed to part as Etro’s light shone down upon young Stella’s body.

“I am the Oracle. I am the one be the bridge between the gods and man. I couldn’t be killed so quickly. So, Etro and I made a deal.”

Before Noctis’ eyes, young Stella’s body began to heal itself. Her legs snapped back to their original position, the swelling of her face began to fade until her soft features were present once again. He breathing leveled out to what could be considered normal.

“What was the deal?” Noctis whispered. He was too afraid to speak too loud. Everything was too loud.

“In exchange for letting me live, my soul had to die. That is my body, my small broken body. But that girl on the ground, she isn’t truly me.”

Noctis looked between the two, the similarities obvious. “Then who’s in your body?”

Stella smiled smally, her eyes lined with unshed tears. “Now you’re asking the right questions. Technically, that is me. The girl you will meet in two days is also me. She will look like me, she will talk like me, she will act like me. But, she is not  _ me _ . When I died that night, because I did die, my soul left my body and went to the world of the dead. I became Etro’s messenger and have worked to change your fate, Noctis. My body has a soul in it, but it’s only a fraction. Half of my soul went with Etro while the other half-”

“Stayed in your body.” Noctis looked over at Stella while she nodded. “Well shit.”

Stella chuckled as she stood up and dusted some of the grass off her skirt. She held her hand out and Noctis scrambled to take it, wanting to get away from the dark scene that was making his heart clenched painfully.

The heat surrounded him and he was in his room again. Noctis stood quickly, pacing slightly before he sat down as his breathing picked up. Now was not the time to have a panic attack.

Stella moved to kneel in front of him. “Noctis, I’m sorry if that was overwhelming. It is a lot to take in.”

“I’m-I’m fine.” Noctis breathed in, then out. In. Out. “You were a kid.”

“I was. But it happened, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.”

“You changed my death.” Noctis muttered. “Why can’t you change yours?”

I can’t change who dies, only Etro.” Stella put her hand on Noctis’ knee as he looked up at her. “I can’t return to my body until the new prophecy is fulfilled. For that, I’m going to need your help, Noctis. Can you do that?”

Noctis nodded quickly. “What do you need me to do?”

“The crystals. They must all be linked for the new prophecy to work. Do you know where the crystals are?”

“Accordo, Tenebrae, Solheim, and Insomnia.” Noctis rattled off the names quickly, having read them in one of the Cosmologies.

“You understand how the crystal will anoint you with a gift on your birthday?” Another nod and Stella’s grip tightened on his knee. “You will need to commune with each of the crystals and gain a gift from each. In doing so, you will gain the full power of the Kings and you will in turn release this half of my soul from the world of the dead. I’ll be able to go back to my physical body and be able to help you from down here.”

“But where are the crystals?” Noctis was shaking slightly, still reeling from all the information being thrown at him. “Obviously I know where the Insomnian one is, but what about Solheim’s? Nobody has seen it in years.”

“I trust that you will figure it out. Remember, I will always be here to help you.”

Stella squeezed his knees again and Noctis noticed he had looked away again.

“I must go, Noctis. Keep in mind that everything is about to change.”

“Hasn’t it already?”

Stella sighed, her eyes filled with sadness.

“Happy Birthday, Noctis.”

Noctis closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall.

He already knew Stella would be gone when he opened his eyes.


	10. The Party of the Century

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to have this chapter combined with the next chapter but then it got way too long. so, this is part one of the two parts of the long-awaited birthday party. until next time, enjoy! :)
> 
> p.s. thank you guys soooo much for all the kudos and comments, they mean so much to me. i swear i read them even though a never respond, but i'll try to respond to them now that i'm not so busy :)

To say Noctis was nervous was an understatement. He had barely been able to sleep the past two days after Stella had visited him with such disturbing information. He had tried to keep up with training and school work without anyone knowing, but of course, his best friends just had to be observant.

“Hey bud, are you sure you’re okay?”

Prompto had asked this question about six times in the past hour. It was starting to bug Noctis, and his generic “I’m fine” answer didn’t seem to be working.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Noctis said as he tapped his pencil against the economics worksheet he was supposed to be doing. The only thing written on it after an hour was his name and the wrong date.

“You haven’t done anything since school ended. You didn’t eat lunch either. Are you getting sick?”

Prompto scooted closer to his best friend, nudging him slightly. Noctis dropped his pencil and groaned as he leaned back in his chair. He looked over at the blond, a wave of warmth spreading through him at the true concern in his friend’s eyes.

“I’m not getting sick. Promise. I’m just nervous.”

“For your birthday?” Prompto asked, his head tilted to the side slightly. “I’ve already told you buddy, don’t worry. We will be with you the whole time.”

Prompto’s smile was too contagious to not have Noctis smiling slightly down at his homework.

“I know.”

There was silence in the room as Noctis breathed out. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging slightly at the roots in order to ground himself. His thoughts kept swirling to worst-case scenarios for his birthday party and even worse, his time of Reflection in the Crystal.

What if everything went wrong? What if they are attacked just like the day Insomnia fell? What if the Crystal knew he was from some alternate timeline and that he knew what his destiny was? It was all too much for him to handle and he didn’t even notice that he was tugging on his hair again.

“Noct?”  Prompto’s voice was small and extremely quiet. There was fear in his voice and it immediately shocked Noctis out of whatever spell he was under.  “Your eyes…”

Noctis’ mouth dropped open as he stumbled out of his chair, knocking it over in the process. He rushed towards his standing mirror, moving right up to the glass and moving his hands towards his eyes.

His eyes were swirling with red as black began to seep in slowly from the edge.

“No. No no no no.” Noctis muttered to himself over and over as he closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms and drawing blood. He couldn’t lose control. If he did, the Astrals would know. He shouldn’t be able to control so much Astral power before he’s even gone through his initiation.

His anxiety spiked as he could feel the Crystal’s energy sparking through his veins. He couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t-

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and Noctis’ body relaxed almost immediately.

“Breathe, Noct, breathe.” Prompto’s voice was calm and soothing right against his ear. “You’re okay, calm down.”

Noctis completely collapsed into Prompto’s arms, his breathing slowing down as the arms around him squeezed to comfort him. 

“Can you open your eyes?”

Prompto’s questions caused Noctis to tense slightly. He sucked in a staggered breath before nodding. He pushed himself away from Prompto before peeling his eyes open.

He let out a sound of relief when blue irises stared back at him. He looked at Prompto through the mirror, his best friend still lightly holding onto his waist as he ran a soothing hand up and down his back.

“I’m okay.” Noctis said as he tapped Prompto’s hand, the younger immediately letting go.

Prompto stepped back, his hand moving to his wristband and began to scratch. 

“What happened?” Prompto whispered. 

Noctis turned to face Prompto, moving towards his bed before motioning for Prompto to sit with him. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Noctis muttered as he looked down. The bed sunk beside him, telling Noct that Prompto had finally moved to sit by him. “I hate scaring you.” 

Prompto chuckled. “Gods Noct, sometimes you can be so dense.”

Noctis looked up, his eyes locking with Prompto’s.

“You could never scare me.” 

Noct didn’t know he was crying until Prompto reached over and grabbed a tissue from his nightstand.

“Why do you have to be such a good person?” Noctis laughed through his words. Prompto smiled before suddenly tugging Noctis into a hug.

“Don’t worry about tonight. We will be by your side the whole time, got it?”

Noctis nodded, hugging Prompto tighter.

“Got it.”

 

Noctis pulled at the collar of his dress shirt as he stood before his mirror. Two women hurried around the room as they added any final touches to Noctis’ suit while the other tried to comb his hair into something deemed “acceptable.”

Noctis made sure to hurriedly kick the servants out so he could have a few minutes for himself before his father came to collect him. 

Noctis looked down out of his window towards the bustling streets of Insomnia. Many royal and esteemed guests were flooding into the palace, the sheer numbers making Noctis’ head spin.  His eyes caught sight of a girl around his age exiting a slick black car down at the main steps of the Citadel. She wore a white gown with her blonde hair falling down to her waist. Noctis could already tell who it was.

“Wow, that’s actually one of my least favorite dresses.” 

Noctis chuckled as he turned to look at Stella as she looked out the window towards her counterpart.

“It still looks nice.”

“And so do you. Better than your hoodie and jeans.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my hoodie and jeans.”

Stella gave him a skeptical look as she raised an eyebrow.

Noctis looked away from Stella with a sarcastic scoff. He watched as another person stepped out of the car behind the ‘other’ Stella. The hooded figure stayed close to the girl’s side as he lightly held onto her arm as they ascended the stairs up towards the Citadel.

“Who’s that person with her?”

Stella let out a soft sigh without even glancing towards the window. “My brother.”

“Ravus?” Noctis turned towards the girl, confusion written all over his face. “What happened to him?”

“The empire happened to him. I told you how they would experiment on him. They hurt him, blinded him. He is nothing like the Ravus from your world.”

Noctis paused as he went to grab his dress shoes. “You know about the people from my world?”

“I do. I also know about Lunafreya.”

Noctis sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

“And I understand.” Stella moved to his side and placed a hand on top of his shoulder, stopping Noctis’ struggling to slide on his shoes. “You won’t see me for a while, but stay alert. The empire is here now, you never know what might happen.”

“Got it.” Noctis nodded as he looked up into Stella’s pink eyes. “See you later, I guess.”

She chuckled lightly before letting go of his shoulder. “Your shoe’s untied.”

Noctis looked down at his dress shoes before looking up again, not at all surprised that Stella was gone. There was a knock on his door, probably his guards ready to lead him to his father. He looked in the mirror one last time to quickly fix his hair and make sure his eyes were blue before rushing out of the door.

 

The party was extremely lively, the food was delicious, and Noctis was going insane. Every minute that passed was another minute closer to when he would have to commune with the Crystal. Noctis had spent the first hour of his party, immediately after having his presence announced to the guests and all of them sweeping into low bows and curtseys, talking and meeting every important ambassador and leader from all of the bordering countries. It had been very tense when the Nox Fleuret had introduced themselves. Noctis couldn’t even see Ravus’ face under the white hood he wore. He muttered a small introduction and bowed but otherwise kept his interactions with Noctis to a minimum. 

Stella, on the other hand, was very vibrant and excited when she introduced herself to Noctis. Noctis had to make sure he wasn’t tense when he bowed to her as he tried to compare this Stella to the Astral-like Stella that has been visiting him for so many months now. She had insisted they talk later but Noctis secretly hoped they wouldn’t. She was sweet, he wouldn’t deny it, but looking into the blue eyes of this Stella only made his stomach twist uncomfortably.

Noctis now sat at the front of the throne room beside his father as he had a perfect view of the guests dancing and conversing. Noctis looked over at his friends who stood at the bottom of the stairs, waving slightly at Prompto when the blonde looked up at his best friend. It had taken a lot of convincing on Noctis’ behalf to get Prompto to come to his party. His father had kept saying how commoners were not allowed, but Noctis had used Prompto’s recent Crownsguard training as an excuse for Prompto to attend. He was grateful he had a few familiar faces nearby to support him. Noctis smiled once more at Prompto before looking over at Nyx who stood at attention with a few other Kingsglaives by the front doors.

“You hanging in there, Your Highness?”

Nyx’s voice came through the earpiece, the words quietly muttered. Noctis rolled his eyes and held an unenthusiastic thumbs up towards the man before quickly slouching again.

Noctis saw Nyx laugh slightly before coughing into his hand. “Not much longer. You ready?”

Noctis knew what he was referring to as he quickly shook his head no. He saw Nyx’s smile fall slightly and heard him sigh through the earpiece.  

“Don’t worry, okay? I’ll be on the other side of the door the entire time.”

Noctis looked at Nyx one more time and forced a small smile onto his face. Nyx reciprocated the sentiment before focusing on his post once again. Noctis sighed, looking to his side to see his father chatting away with one of the political board members from Tenebrae. Noctis turned his gaze away from his father to look out at the crowd once more as a girl with blonde hair caught his eye for the umpteenth time. She was talking to one of Insomnia’s financial officers as she sipped at the drink held in her hand. She suddenly burst out laughing, her hair falling in front of her face as she raised a hand to cover her mouth. The way she acted, the way she looked, all it reminded Noctis of was Luna.

Noctis sighed sadly, looking down at his lap as he messed with the frayed edge of his suit since he had been picking at the fabric since the party began.

“Noctis.”

Noctis shot his head up quickly as he looked over at his father. Regis' hand was placed on Noctis’ arm as he squeezed lightly.

“Did you hear what I said?” Regis’ concern dripped through his words as she stared into Noctis’ wide eyes.

“Um, no. Sorry. Can you repeat your question?” Noctis asked timidly as she continued to pull on a loose string.

“We are going to head to the Crystal in about five minutes. Are you ready to go?”

Noctis paused, his gaze shifting from Nyx at the door to his friends at the bottom of the stairs. He looked over at Stella off to the side in the room, her piercing blue eyes meeting his in a heavy gaze. He shuddered, his hand pausing its movement with his suit.

Noctis swallowed. He blinked. He opened his mouth to speak but then close it immediately after.    


“Breathe, Noctis.”

Nyx’s voice rang out in his ear once again and Noctis let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He shook his head viciously, his eyes finally falling upon his father.

For the first time since he came back, for the first time since everything had changed, Noctis spoke with a certainty he thought he had lost. “Yeah. I’m ready.”


	11. The Gift From The Crystal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fair warning, this chapter is a rollercoaster ride. and it's also the longest chapter i've ever written.  
> i hope you guys like this chapter. until next time, enjoy! :)

Noctis clutched his hands in front of him in order to stop their shaking. His father stood at his side, a hand laying on his shoulder as they stood in front of the two large doors that would open up and lead Noctis into the Crystal Chamber.

Noctis turned back slightly, looking over his shoulder at the few people who traveled with them towards the Crystal. Clarus stood behind Noctis’ father with Cor by his side. Cor smiled slightly at Noctis, probably knowing how nervous the teenager was. Noctis smiled back, his shaking hands starting to still.

Behind Noctis were Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto. The three stood calmly, but Noctis could practically feel their anxiety. The group had been discussing Noctis’ reflection for weeks: what could go wrong, what was going to actually happen, what was the gift Noctis was going to receive? These questions were bounced around daily, and now that they were finally going to be answered, they couldn’t be more terrified. Noctis smiled at his friends, more to ease their tension than his own, and looked past them at the last group of people standing in the hall.

Stella and Ravus Nox Fleuret stood quietly with a somehow calm air around them. Stella was leaning into her brother, whispering something in his ear, before turning to meet Noctis’ gaze. Noctis quickly turned back around as his father squeezed his shoulder once more.

“Are you ready?” Regis asked as he glanced at his watch. The reflection was supposed to start at midnight, so they had about three minutes to spare. 

Noctis looked over at his father, his expression softening as he looked at the man who raised him, who had taken care of him. This Regis was different from the Regis of Noctis’ time, that was for sure. Even so, Noctis knew that everything his father was making him do was to protect him. It was a different world he was living in, he had come to accept that, but that didn’t mean he was a different person. Noctis was still a King, no matter what alternate timeline he was living through.

“Let’s get started.”

Regis smiled at his son, his eyes glowing with affection for the first time in months. He turned to the two Kingsglaives standing at the door and motioned for them to open the doors. One of the guards was Nyx, who nodded towards Noctis as the prince stepped through. 

“Good luck, kid.” Noctis heard Nyx’s quiet voice through his earpiece as he passed before the doors slammed shut behind Noctis and his father.

Noctis let out a staggered breath as he stared out towards the Crystal in the middle of the room. His stomach churned, his vision going slightly hazy as images of him in Zegnautus Keep flashed through his mind. His arm getting tugged in, his body becoming extremely fatigued as Ardyn circled around him and revealed his origins. His friend’s cries echoed throughout the room as he was sucked in and gone for ten years.

“Noctis? Son?”

Noctis snapped out of his haze as he looked over at his father.

“Are you okay?” The concern that seeped through his father’s voice was so shocking it almost brought tears to Noctis’ eyes. This was the father he was missing, the father he used to have. It was terrifying, though. The fact that his father was scared now meant something bad could happen when Noctis would commune in Reflection.

“Just nervous,” Noctis said. He looked over at his father’s wrist, the time reading 23:59. “We have to hurry.”

Regis looked down at his own watch and nodded quickly. He turned to face Noctis before kneeling down before him. 

“I believe in you, Noctis. Take heed and go forth to receive your blessing. The Kings of Old await you.”

Regis then removed the Ring of Lucis from his hand, a small grunt of pain leaving his lips before he sighed in relief.

Noctis immediately grabbed the Ring and slipped on with no hesitation. There was a burning pain that slid up his body, but he had no time to react before he was stepping forward and reached out towards the Crystal. He paused right above the Crystal, his hand hovering in the air. His courage wavered, his hand clenched into a fist. He looked back at his father who had a shocked look on his face. Noctis would have to ask about that later. 

Before Noctis could hesitate any longer, the bell tower in town rang out to signal the time now being midnight.

Noctis took in a deep breath, pushing his worries aside and focusing on the Crystal’s energy in front of him. He unclenched his fist and pushed his hand forward.

****

The only sound in the hallway was the obnoxious tapping of Prompto’s foot on the linoleum floor. After multiple minutes of the insistent tapping, Gladio nudged Prompto harshly in the arm.

“Would you quit it?” Gladio grumbled under his breath.

“Sorry,” Prompto mumbled, his foot stopping all movement instantly. “Just nervous.”

“We all are,” Ignis interjected under his breath. “It shouldn’t be taking this long.”

“How long has it been?” Prompto asked, having looked down at his wrist for the time only to remember he wasn’t wearing a watch.

Ignis sighed as he looked down at his own wrist, that was clad with a watch. “Forty minutes.”

“It might just be that the Kings and Gods don’t know what to gift Prince Noctis.” 

The trio turned around to face Stella Nox Fleuret as she stepped forward towards the group. “Each heir to the Lucian Line has a gift specifically for them. King Regis’ gift was his inhuman strength which allows him to uphold the Wall without growing weak. It was given to him specifically in order to work around the struggles of our time.”

“Wouldn’t the gods have chosen his gift beforehand?” Prompto asked. Gladio rolled his eyes and Ignis just sighed.

Stella stepped over to Ignis’ side as she shrugged slightly. “The gods are very busy. They could have chosen something, but Noctis could have persuaded them for something different. It is as much the next King’s choice as it is the gods choice.”

“I guess that could explain it.” Gladio said as he looked over at Ignis. “What do you think Iggy?”

“Lady Stella’s option seems to be the most viable suggestion. I know nothing more than what the books supply me.” Ignis pushed his glasses up slightly as he turned to Stella. “Thank you for informing us Lady Stella.”

“Of course. If I’m being honest,” Stella leaned in closer to the boys, a small smile tugging onto her face, “I’m just getting tired of standing in these heels.”

She laughed slightly as the other three smiled. Their smiles dropped suddenly as a loud _bang_ sounded from inside the Crystal Chamber.

“What was that?” Clarus asked as he stood up taller, more alert. 

“I’m not sure,” Cor replied as he lifted his hand and motioned for the few other Kingsglaives in the hallway to head towards him. “We can’t enter until the ceremony is complete, but have no way of knowing if it’s over.”

There were a few more loud banging noises followed by blasts of light leaking out from under the door. Suddenly, everything was quiet as everyone seemed to hold their breath. 

“Is it over?” Prompto whispered as he hand had instinctively gone to squeeze the person closest to him, which had been Gladio.  
  
“I have no clue.” Gladio whispered as he stepped forward towards his father. He stumbled backward quickly as the doors to the Crystal Chamber were suddenly thrown open.

“Your Majesty!” Clarus exclaimed as he rushed towards his King. 

“Get a medic! Hurry!” Regis’ voice was loud as it rang through the hallway. He seemed overall unharmed even though his hair was ruffled and speckled with dust. As everyone looked down towards his chest, his clothes were covered in blood as it dripped onto the floor below him. The only thing was, it wasn’t his blood.

“Noct!” The collectively cry from the three friends was filled with shock.

Noctis laid unconscious in his father’s arms, his body covered in gashes as blood flowed down his face and arms onto the floor. Regis brought his son tighter to his chest as he looked down the hall at the multiple doctors rushing their way.

“What happened?” Cor asked as he moved towards Regis to wrap a supportive arm around his friend.  
  
“I have no idea. We won’t know until Noctis wakes up.” Regis replied quickly as a gurney was pushed in front of him. He laid Noctis down carefully as he was suddenly pulled back by Cor as the doctors rushed around him to push Noctis down the hall towards the elevator to get him to the Med Wing. “He went in the Crystal, Cor. Inside of it. That’s not supposed to happen.” Regis took a deep breath to calm his shaking body. “And it was taking a long time, I was getting nervous. Suddenly, the Crystal started glowing brighter than I’ve ever seen it before. The room was shaking and there was a flash and...and-”

Regis cut himself off. He looked down at himself and at the blood on the floor. “I thought he was dead.”

“He will be fine. The doctors will make sure of it.” Clarus moved to Regis’ other side, moving to support the King as his knees buckled below him. Clarus and Cor nodded to each other before beginning to take small steps down the hall while supporting practically all of Regis’ body weight.

The others in the hallway stood in shocked silence. Prompto was shaking, having been wrapped up in Ignis’ arms. Gladio kept a steady gaze on the blood on the ground as he grasped Ignis’ shoulder.

“Excuse us.” Gladio mumbled as he began to steer the pair towards the elevators. He wanted to make sure they were there went Noctis woke up, and it seemed that Ignis was way too out of it to make any decisions for them.

Nyx watched their retreating forms, his gaze shifting between the Prince’s best friends and the Nox Fleuret siblings who stood as if confused on where to go. His head was still ringing from the high pitched static noises that had rung through his earpiece. The words he had heard though, they seemed to echo in his head. Nyx cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the few other guards who were still loitering around.

“Can someone please escort Lady Stella and Lord Ravus to their room?” Nyx shook his head as the ringing started again. “And make sure nobody enters that Chamber at all costs. Got it?”

There was a chorus of “yes sir” as Nyx hurried down the hall towards Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto. He rushed forward as the elevator came into sight, quickly throwing his hand out to stop the doors from closing.

“Nyx?” Gladio looked up towards the Kingsglaive as Nyx slid into the elevator quickly while pushing the close door button over and over. “Nyx, you okay?”

Ignis has finally pulled his eyes away from Prompto and was starting to tune into his surroundings more. 

“No, I-” Nyx paused as the ringing persisted. He groaned in pain as he pulled out his earpiece that was linked to the one Noctis had. He looked at the three before letting out a staggered breathe. “I think I know what happened to Noctis.”

*****

_Noctis could feel his body being pulled through the Crystal as the Ring burned on his hand. His body suddenly lurched forward and his feet were swept out from under him. Noctis threw his hands out to catch himself. His knees hit the invisible ground below him as he looked down at the continuous expanse of Reflection._

_“Chosen King.”_

_A deep voice resonated through the abyss as Noctis began to push himself up. Noctis’ breath caught in his throat as he stared up at Bahamut. Beside him stood five other figures but it was only their silhouettes. Even so, Noctis could already tell who they were. Shiva’s thin figure hovered on Bahamut’s right as Ifrit’s horns gave away his identity next to Shiva. The tall rock-like structure of Titan was to Bahamut’s left with Ramuh next to him. Leviathan seemed to wrap around the back of the five with her head hovering above Shiva._

_Noctis took a few moments to assess the gods in front of him. The fact that Ifrit was with the others was extremely odd, but it also meant that Ifrit wasn't being controlled by Niefelheim._

_“The time has come to receive your blessing.” Bahamut spoke again. “First, the Kings of Old must prove you are worthy.”_

_‘Prove I’m worthy?’ Noctis thought as he gave a small incredulous look._

_Noctis stepped back as ghostly blue figures appeared around him, their weapons held in front of them, and-_

_It was all too familiar._

_“No,” Noctis muttered as he stepped back again. “Not again.”_

_“Not again, young King?” Shiva’s light and airy voice drifted towards Noctis._

_Noctis’ throat was dry, his breath picking up quickly. Noctis’ hands began to shake as his vision blurred the shapes of the Astrals together._

_“I-I can’t do this.” Noctis said. His chest began to hurt, right over the spot where his father’s sword ended his life. Well, his first life._

_“It is a Lucius Caleam’s birthright to accept the gift bestowed upon them. Giving up your gift is giving up your right to the throne.” The Founder King spoke up from Noctis’ far right._

_“Well you would do anything for the throne wouldn’t you?” Noctis said suddenly, his hand flying up to clasp over his mouth._

_“I beg your pardon?” The Founder King spoke again, his voice edging with aggression._

_“I shouldn’t have said that.” Noctis spoke quickly, his vision focusing again because these gods could very much kill him. “I’m not thinking clearly. I’m just...confused.” Noctis’ hand tightened as the metal of the ring dig into his skin._

_“If there is anything you don’t understand we can explain, I assure you.” Shiva tried to comfort Noctis with her words and for that he was grateful. Even so, there was still something nagging at him._

_“Where is Etro?” Noctis let the words slip without thinking which seems to be something he’s doing way too much right now._

_“My King, Etro has not been a part of Reflection for decades. She hasn’t shown herself since The Accursed tried to ascend the throne.” Noctis turned to face The Rogue as she spoke._

_“Why do you ask?” Shiva had moved forward towards Noctis slightly._

_Noctis bit his lip to keep himself from speaking out of line once more. He shook his head while looking down._

_“Is it because of Her Light?”_

_Noctis looked over at Leviathan as her garbled words became clear once they reached Noctis’ ears. She slithered through the air to move closer by Shiva._

_“How do you-”_

_“We are higher beings, Prince Noctis, we know much more than you think.” Bahamut spoke up. “Besides, we must focus on the task at hand.”_

_Bahamut turned towards the Lucian Kings that surrounded Noctis._

_“It is time to decide if Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, the Chosen King, is worthy of receiving the Crystal’s blessing.”_

_There was the sound of metal sliding together as Bahamut’s many swords appeared around him. Noctis swallowed dryly, his throat suddenly constricting his breathing._

_“If anyone is to reject the next Lucian King, speak now.”_

_Noctis looked around at the Elder Kings and then the Six in front of him. There were no outcries, no shouts of his unworthiness._

_“It is decided.” Bahamut spoke once there were no objections. Noctis let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “The Chosen King may now choose if he is to receive his gift."_

_“Me?” Noctis spoke as he pointed to himself._

_Shiva smiled sweetly at the boy. “Of course, the one who is to be granted a gift should have a say in what that gift is.”_

_Shiva glided forward as she knelt in front of Noctis. “The Kings of Old and the Astrals of Eos have decided a gift best fit for the Chosen King.” Her finger was placed on her lips, a swirl of ice covering the fingertip. She brought her finger to Noctis’ forehead, tapping gently on the pale skin, and suddenly Noctis’ head was pounding. The excruciating pain spread throughout as his eyes glazed over. He tried to blink, tried to move, but it was as if he was frozen in place._

_“You seem hesitant, My King, but you have yet to learn what we are to bestow upon you. Why is that so?” Shiva’s voice rang through his head, another pulsing pain against his skull has his eyes refused to shut. The Six stood above Noctis as he gritted his teeth against the overwhelming pain. Noctis tried to speak but was unable to form a coherent sentence. He pushed against the pain, not noticing that the ring was shining on his hand, a blue glow winding up his arms and surrounding his frame._

_“I wish..to choose.” Noctis mumbled, the words strained and spaced as he inhaled deep breathes afterward._

_“You wish to choose what?” Bahamut asked although Noctis was sure the god already knew what he was talking about if the discreet smug look on his face was any indication._

_“My gift.”_

****

“What do you mean?” Gladio asked as the elevator doors opened and the four began to run down the hallway of the Medical Wing. The Shield looked out of the window next to him as he ran, noticing how the guests from the party were being ushered out into their cars.

Nyx reached up and pulled a small device from his pocket, something Gladio recognized as the earpieces used between Kingsglaive. “I got this for Noctis, for his birthday. It has a one-way channel between him and me. I didn’t think it would work when he went and did his little Crystal thing.”

Nyx stuffed the device back into his pocket as he moved forward to grab Prompto’s arm as he was seeming to slow down as they made their way closer to the main doors of the Med Wing.

“I’m assuming you could hear what Noctis was saying?” Ignis asked as he clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood. It was the only way Ignis could think of getting his head back on straight to focus on the situation at hand.

“Only pieces,” Nyx replied quietly as they made their way past doctors and nurses, wanting to make sure that nobody heard their conversation. “Enough for me to know that whatever happened to Noctis, it was because of the gift those gods gave him.”

“Well, what words did you hear?” Prompto’s small voice caused the remaining three to snap their attention to him. “Is Noct going to die?”

Nyx’s eyes softened. He loosened his grip on Prompto’s arm, steering the blond towards a nearby chair in the waiting room. The smell of cleaning supplies and an odd vanilla air freshener made Nyx’s head spin so he decided that maybe he should sit down as well. He turned to face Prompto, reaching up to ruffle the kid’s hair before dropping his hand to Prompto’s shoulder.

“I’m not sure bud. I didn’t hear much but I do know this.”

Nyx turned to face Noctis’ other two friends as they stood on unsteady feet. Their gazes were set now, focused and ready to do anything to save their liege, their friend. 

“Noctis’ power,” Nyx dropped his gaze, his hands shaking. He chuckled slightly in a way that seemed as if he wasn’t even believing what he was saying. 

“It’s death.”

****

_“What gift do you have in mind?” One of the Old Kings spoke up as Noctis’ pain seemed to subside enough for him to think straight. Noctis recognized him as The Clever._

_Noctis didn’t answer immediately, his brain running through different possible abilities the gods could provide him. He remembered back to the mentioning of the Light, and suddenly he had an idea. He went to open his mouth, to speak his thoughts, but the pain suddenly returned and he groaned loudly. His knees buckled underneath him and the invisible ground stopped his fall._

_“I know what you are thinking My King, and it will lead to your death.” Shiva said, his voice grim. “The only being with a power such as the one you seek is Etro, a goddess. You are no god.”_

_“But I could-” Noctis gasped as he struggled to stand. “I could save people. It’s just like seeing the Light.”_

_“Seeing the Light is seeing the souls of the dead being collected. What you are hoping for is seeing the souls before they are dead.”_

_“It could save thousands.” Noctis’ gritted._

_“But it will kill you.”_

_Bahamut’s words struck a nerve in Noctis. It was such a hypocritical phrase. The gods didn’t care if he died, it had always been their plan. His fate._

_“That’s a price I’m willing to pay.” Noctis said. He pushed his shoulders back and leveled his head. His father’s words were ringing in his head. Walk Tall._

_“Very well.” Bahamut shifted his positioned to move towards Noctis, the swords surrounding him turning to point outwards towards the young prince. “But there is a price when it comes to seeing death. The gift of seeing death is just as bad as the gift of giving death. So, one must know what death feels like.”_

_Noctis stared at the swords in front of him, the destroyed throne room in Insomnia flashing in his mind again. This time he chuckled, the ring flashing another spark of blue around his body._

_“Are you willing to pay the blood price, Prince Noctis?”_

_Noctis looked up at the gods, at his ancestors surrounding them. His eyes tinged red as he sighed._

_“I am.” Noctis spoke clear as he bowed his head. “It can’t be as bad as the last time.”_

_As the words were muttered out of Noctis’ mouth, the first sword came flying towards him, ripping across his chest as a wave of crimson blood followed. The pain was just as bad as when he was pinned to the throne, his vision swimming as more swords followed. His body fell, his eyes closed, and suddenly he could see a flash of white behind his eyelids as he felt the cold floor beneath him._ _  
_

_There was yelling as he was lifted up into a pair of arms, and suddenly everything went black._

****

Prompto hadn’t moved from Noctis’ side in the four days he had been asleep. Ignis tried to get him to eat more than the occasional chip bag and shitty coffee from the hospital. Gladio kept telling him to walk around for a bit and get some fresh air, but Prompto refused. He sat his post, never letting go of Noctis’ bruised hand as the heart monitor beeped a slow constant pace.

“You know, I hate it when you’re sad.” 

Prompto looked up to see Nyx entering the room, a semblance of a smile forming on his face. 

“Why’s that?” Prompto asked, his voice rough from little use.

“You look like a kicked Chocobo.” Nyx shrugged as he grabbed the extra chair in the room and dragged it next to Prompto. The blond smiled, his hand reaching up to brush some of Noctis’ hair out of his face.

“I just wished he’d wake up, you know?” Prompto’s words were watery. He didn’t have any tears left to shed after three days of consistent sobbing. “He’s the only family I’ve got.”

Nyx smiled sadly, his arm going to wrap around Prompto’s shoulder. He pulled the younger male into a side hug, sighing deeply.

“Yeah, I’d wish he’d wake up, too.”

There was a beat of silence before Noctis’ heart monitor started to pick up quickly, an alarm going off. The two sitting at the bedside slid back quickly, Prompto dropping Noctis’ hand.

“What’s happening?” Prompto asked. His eyes were wide as Noctis’ heart rate seemed to increase even more.

“I’ll get a doctor.” Nyx said quickly as he ran out the door, yelling for a doctor.

Prompto watched as Noctis’ body began to shake, his back arching off the bed. His heart rate suddenly stopped for a moment before the beeping died down, back to the consistent rate. Noctis’ body went lax and Prompto took a few steps forward.

The door opened with Nyx and probably some medical personal. Prompto ignored them as he stepped forward, leaning slightly over Noctis.

“Noct?” Prompto whispered, his word loud in the quiet room. 

Everyone was quiet, holding their breath, waiting. The heart monitor beeped, the saline drip swung on the rack. Everything was still.

Then, Noctis’ eyes shot open, red as blood.


	12. The Sixth Sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is much calmer than the last one, i promise. thank you guys, again, for all the comments and kudos you guys are soooo sweet. with that said, i hope you guys enjoy this chapter. until next time! :)

Noctis hadn’t spoken since he had woken up. He would only shake or nod his head when the doctors asked him questions. He would sometimes grace them with a simple shrug. His friends would visit every day, staying for multiple hours to talk and tried to convince Noctis to speak back. He never did.

Noctis’ whole body hurt. Every time he would close his eyes, he would see a ginormous golden sword surging towards him. He woke up at night drenched in a cold sweat, his breathing uneven. It wasn’t any different when he awoke one night, his eyes swirling red before simmering down to his usual striking blue. He wiped his hand across his forehead, removing some the sweat that had built up there. His legs felt cramped in the small hospital bed, so he reached down and shoved the sheets off his legs. He moved slightly in order to sling his legs over the edge of the bed, the needle in his arm digging uncomfortably into his skin. He slipped his feet into the black slippers by his bedside, his pale hand reaching out to grab the thin metal pole that held the saline drip attached to his IV. The wheels squeaked on the tile floor as he stood up with shaking legs.

A white light flashed outside of Noctis’ room, drawing his eyes away from the white floor below him. With painstaking steps, Noctis moved from his bed to the door of his hospital room. He opened the door, peeking out into the hall and looking both ways to check if any doctors were walking about. Once the coast was clear, Noctis moved into the hall and began to close the door slowly in order to make the least amount of noise. Noctis moved down the hall towards the wall of windows that showed off the view from the tower they were in. Noctis looked up at the sky, hoping to see a white light shining down from the clouds as they split open the sky, but that wasn’t the case. The sky was dark, the moon being the only light to illuminate the sky.

Noctis turned away from the window, looking down as the white light shown again, seeming to start from his chest and float down the hallway as a white mist. The only sounds bouncing off the walls were the squeaking of his IV stand and the soft pitter-patter of his bare feet. Noctis followed the glow until it became a more solid, pure white as he approached a closed hospital room door.

Noctis looked around him to make sure no medical personnel were wandering around before his hand wrapped around the cold doorknob. He slid in the room, minus the fact that the wheel of his IV stand got caught in the door and he had to struggle slightly, and closed the door quickly behind him.

On the hospital bed in front of him laid an older woman, probably in her sixties. The white light Noctis had been following was surrounding her, floating to wrap around her arms and legs before sinking into her skin.

“She’s dying.” A female voice, although slightly deep, echoed through Noctis’ head. His eyes snapped up towards the window in front of him as the sky split open at Etro’s light flooded towards the ground. Noctis swallowed as the light in the room completed disappeared under the woman’s skin, her body seemingly wrapped in white but only visible under her skin. “Tell me, child, can you save her?”

Noctis stepped forward, his eyes wandering over the dying woman. Her skin was pale, her breaths shallow. She had a nasty rash running down her neck and under the collar of her hospital gown. Her heartbeat was slow, but not slow enough to set off any alarms.

“No.” Noctis’ voice was rough from disuse, a silent whisper floating through the air. “She’ll be dead by morning.”

“And how can you tell?” The voice asked again, the sky starting to retract its Light.

Noctis plundered the question, his head starting to hurt from the amount of exertion he is putting his body through. He shook his head quickly, his bangs hanging down into his eyes.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to know. It’ll just take time. Do you have the patience?”

Noctis watched as the sky closed, the moon the only light in the sky.

“I hope so.”   
  


Noctis woke up to the sound of the radio playing a familiar annoying tune. He forced his eyes open, the sunlight filtering through the blinds a welcome sight. He scanned the room, noticing his three friends were all sitting around the small table shoved in the corner, cards held in their hands.

“I fold.” Prompto said as he placed his hand face down on the table. “I can’t tell if you’re bluffing or not, Gladio, and honestly I’m scared.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have been.” Gladio shrugged as he fanned his hand out onto the table, a low straight staring back up at them.

“Damnit!” Prompto pouted as he showed his high straight to the other two men. “Gods your poker face is scary.”

“It’s a fine-tuned talent.” Gladio boasted.

“Now now gentlemen.”

Their attention shot to Ignis who sat back in his chair, his hand reaching up to push his glasses up his nose. “You shouldn’t celebrate until you know you’re victorious.”

Ignis reached forward and spread his cards out, a straight flush of hearts laid out as if mocking Gladio.

Prompto was the first to laugh, hitting Gladio’s arm playfully. “Oh my gods and I thought you were scary. I thought Ignis was gonna lose, easy.”

“One must not give away anything to the enemy.” Ignis said offhandedly as he stood up.

“Oh, and we are the enemy now?” Gladio retorted.

“Only in poker.” Ignis replied, grabbing half a bagel that had been left on a breakfast tray before moving towards Noctis. “You’re awake.”

All attention turned to Noctis, who tried to offer a small smile. He was feeling much better, albeit slightly unsettled after his adventures with death last night. He barely remembered crawling back into bed.

“What-“ Noctis stopped himself as he coughed, feeling like he just swallowed shards of glass. Ignis acted quickly, grabbing a glass of water that sat at his bedside and sitting on the prince’s bed. 

“Open your mouth.” Ignis said as his head cupped the back of Noctis’s neck. Noctis leaned forward, his lips meeting the glass at Ignis tipped the liquid back. Noctis practically melted into his advisor’s hold, the water calming his throat and cooling his skin.

“Thanks.” Noctis croaked as Ignis pulled back, the glass now empty. Noctis licked his lips, trying to formulate his thoughts, but Prompto could always see when Noctis was struggling.

“Take your time.” Prompto moved to sit where Ignis was previously seating, his hand going to grab his arm and squeeze reassuringly. “You haven’t spoken for a few days. You’ve been really out of it.”

Noctis nodded, smiling at the blond. “I’m-I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Ignis asked. 

“For being so-so stupid.” Noctis looked down. “I scared you guys.”

“Yeah, you did.” Gladio has stood now, moving over towards the dark haired prince. “But that doesn’t mean you’re stupid.” Gladio ruffled his hair after he nudged Prompto out of the way.

“Does anything hurt?” Ignis moved to his other side, not wanting to get involved with two boys fighting over the spot on Noctis’ right. He pushed some of Noctis’ hair out of the way, his eyes scanning over the bandages on his face and arms. Noctis shook his head.

“Just tired.”

“That should be normal,” Ignis said as he leaned back. “Your body is trying to recover and the Crystal hasn’t been helping as much as it usually does.”

“Really?” Noctis asked but chuckled right after. “That bites.”

“I would assume.” Ignis agreed. “We should leave you now and you can get some rest.”

“Wait!” Noctis’ voice was loud to him but only a quiet call to the others. He would seriously have to use his voice more. “Can you stay?”

The three exchanged looks of pity before Prompto hurried over to Noctis’ bed, squeezing himself onto the mattress and snuggling up against the prince. Ignis smiled at the two teenagers as he dragged the only comfortable chair in the room over to Noctis’ bedside. Gladio chuckled at the scene as Ignis rested his head on his crossed arms. 

“I have to meet with my dad, but I’ll come back right after, okay?” Gladio said as he moved towards the door. “Is there anything you guys need before I leave?”

Noctis opened his eyes again, looking at Gladio with a concentrated look on his face. 

“Actually, I have a question.” Noctis said slowly, making sure he didn’t stutter or crack on his words. “Did a woman on this floor pass away this morning?”

Ignis looked up when Noctis spoke again. “How did you know?”

Noctis looked over at Ignis beside him, slight shock covering his face. “I was right?”

“An older woman was moved from down the hall to the morgue this morning.” Gladio said. “You were asleep when it happened.” He reached for his jacket, hesitant to put it on. 

“Why would you ask, Noct?” Ignis looked over at Prompto as the blond mumbled the words. He seemed to be close to falling asleep, but Noctis’ talking woke him up. “Did you know her?”

Noctis shook his head, looking down at his bandaged hands. “Just wondering.”

The two older men shared the look of ‘is Noctis mentally stable’ before Gladio shrugged his jacket on.

“Don’t worry about any of that, Noct. Just focus on getting better so I can kick your ass in training again.” Gladio said as he opened the door, glancing back one last time at the three boys stuffed in one bed. 

Noctis nodded in agreement before raising a hand to weakly wave at his retreating shield.   
  


When Noctis woke again, it was night. His friends must have left once visiting hours were over. Noct coughed, his hand reaching out to blindly wrap around the glass of water on his nightstand. He brought the water to his lips and practically chugged it down. He sighed contently while letting his eyes slip closed.

“Noctis?”

Noct eyes shot open at the familiar voice. He looked around the room, trying to find the source. There was a hiccup as if someone was trying to swallow a sob, and Stella appeared on Noctis’ left.

“Stella?”

“I’m so sorry.” Stella covered her mouth with her hand, a quiet sob escaping her lips. Holographic-like tears streamed down her tanned skin. 

“What for?” Noctis pushes himself up more, any remaining fatigue leaving his system at his new friend’s distress.

“I should have warned you. You weren’t prepared and they hurt you. I’m-”

“It was my choice.” Noctis cut the girl off, his voice light despite the heavy truth of his words. “I choose this gift, and I had to suffer the consequences.”

Stella wiped a hand across her face, tear tracks still present. She sniffled, her hand reaching up to comb her hair back in a messy order. “You choose? You changed your gift?”

Noctis nodded. “I had a plan.”

Stella scoffed, a tear escaped her eye as she laughed with pity. “Your plan almost got you killed.”

Noctis shrugged. “I didn’t think the gods would respond like that. I just wanted to help.”

Stella nodded, her head tilting to the side slightly like a dog who was intrigued. “And what gift did you choose?”

Noctis paused, not entirely knowing how to explain this new ‘gift’ of his. 

“I-I think I can see when someone is going to die. Like last night, I saw this light, similar to Etro’s, that was wrapped around this woman. She died this morning.”

Stella didn’t respond, her eyes sweeping over the bandages and bruises on Noctis’ body. “So you have the ability to see when someone is going to die, like having  _ shinigami  _ eyes?”

“ _ Shinigami _ ?” Noctis asked, intrigued by Stella’s analogy. “Like the Japanese folk stories? They actually exist?”

“No, not really. Etro has helpers who do work similar to that, you know. Taking lives and recording them in order to keep the natural balance.” Stella explained. “It’s really complicated, and not important.” Stella pushed herself off the bed, walking towards the small window. The clouds split and Etro’s light shone through the glass pane. Stella was enveloped in the light, only faintly glowing, almost barely noticeable to the human eye.

“Are you dying?” Noctis asked, his eyes widening. “Stella, are you-”

“Yes,” Stella spoke the single word solemnly, her head hung low. “How can you tell?”

“A light. Around you.” Noctis’ words were short and detached, his eyes following the white fog as it hovered around Stella. “It’s not nearly as noticeable as the one I saw last night. Maybe that means you have time?”

“But how long?” Stella responded, her words sharp despite how soft her eyes were. 

“I don’t know.” 

A silence settled over them, continuing after Etro’s light retreated and into the early morning. No one spoke, Noctis picking at his bed sheets while Stella paced across the room.

The horizon began to burst in colors of orange, yellow, and red as the sun rose over the horizon. Stella sighed loudly, turning her attention to Noctis. “I have to go. I’m sorry you got hurt, but you must keep your guard up. And I would suggest not sharing any information about your gift. Not now, at least.”

Noctis nodded, his eyes saddening once he spotted Stella’s stiff posture.

“Hey.”

Stella looked away, her nose still red from rubbing it constantly during the night.

“I’m going to save you. I promise.”

Stella looked up, her body fading away as she smiled. Noctis looked at the spot where Stella was previously standing before he sighed, shoving the sheets off his legs before getting up out of the bed. He changed as quickly as he could into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie Gladio had left for him. He slipped the IV out of his arm with precision (courtesy of one trusty advisor's teachings on basic first aid) and quickly grabbed his bag of belongings as the different machines he had been hooked up to began to beep loudly. He heard footsteps as he shoved open his window and slid out. 

As doctors burst into the prince's room, all that was left of the prince was the blue sparks trailing from the window.


	13. A Plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY IMPORTANT:  
> I will be going on a little hiatus, so the next chapter won’t be posted until August 3rd. this is due to the fact that I’ve fallen behind on my writing schedule, so I don’t have as many chapters written in advance as I would like. I hope this is okay with you guys, and I hope the wait isn’t too long.  
> welp, until then, I hope y’all enjoy this chapter :)

“So you don’t know where he is? At all?” 

Regis was very annoyed with the multiple doctors and staff who supposedly had no clue where his severely injured son was.

“We are very sorry, Your Grace.” The doctor wouldn’t meet Regis’ eyes, his shoes squeaking against the floor as he fidgeted under the King’s dark gaze. “We think he escaped out the window. No one saw him leave out the front door, not even the back.”

Regis groaned under his breath, fixing his composure before waving the doctor away. He turned to Clarus, leaning in to whisper to his shield.

“Find Gladio. He would probably be one of the first to be contacted by Noctis.”

Clarus nodded, motioning for Cor to stay with Regis before heading off towards the Citadel.

“That kid likes to run, doesn’t he?” Cor said as he moved to Regis’ side. “What would make him, though?”

“I’m not sure. He hasn’t spoken to me at all since he woke up. Ignis informed me he talked to them yesterday, but all he did was apologize.” Regis sighed, starting to walk out of the hospital wing towards the throne room.

“Why would he apologize?”

Regis glanced down at the ring around his finger, the ring he had pulled off his son’s bloody body. A shudder ran through his body, his suspicions becoming true.

“I have no idea.”

 

Noctis was moving much slower than he wanted to. His chest still hurt since his broken lungs were still setting. He had a pounding headache, probably from moving so much after practically being bedridden. His clothes felt scratchy on his skin, his hair hanging down into his eyes. He definitely needed a haircut.

The sounds of cars driving by rang in his ears as he moved out of the alleyway and into the flow of people heading to work. He grimaced in pain every time someone knocked his shoulder or a briefcase swung into his side. He stumbled down the sidewalk, head hung down and bandaged hands clenched in his hoodie pockets.

He let out a sigh of relief when a run down apartment complex came into view. He looked around him quickly before hurrying towards the wire fence that surrounded the building. He wrapped his fingers around the chain link and wedged the toe of his shoe in between two links. It took a lot of energy to tug himself over the fence, but it was better than having to warp and feel his body pull against the magic. Something had changed since he went through Reflection, but it was slowly getting better the longer he was awake. 

Once Noctis’ feet touched ground on the other side of the fence, he adjusted his hood to cover his face more before moving towards the worn stone stairs. He stared at them with distaste, as if they had personally offended them. After a heavy sigh, he began his trek upwards, his feet protesting every step but his stupid stuborness pushing him forward.

Once he had reached the fourth floor, he began moving through the hallway, the wind blowing through the tunnel and causing dirt to get into Noctis’ eyes. He coughed at the intrusion before rubbing his eyes, moving to a stop as he turned to face a door on his right. He squinted through the tears in his eyes to make sure the number was right before knocking heavily. 

He heard movement on the other side, taking that as a sign to relax and leaned heavily against the door frame. His vision had started to blur on the edges, his hearing going in and out with the pounding of his head. He heard the sound of the lock unlatching before the door was pushed open.

“Noct?”

Noctis didn’t look up at Prompto quickly wrapped his arms around the prince, tugging him gently inside before slamming the door closed with his foot. The loud impact of the door meeting the rotting wood frame seemed to tug Noctis’ out of his stupor. 

“Noctis?”

This voice was different, and Noctis dragged his eyes upwards to see Ignis coming towards him. 

“What are you doing here?” Ignis asked as Prompto lowered Noctis onto the brown couch in the small living room. 

“Needed to-” Noctis stopped short as his eyes seemed to clear now that he was seated and calm. “Why are you here?”

“Don’t flip this around on me.” Ignis said sternly. “You should be in a hospital room.”

Noctis looked away from his advisor, who had now kneeled down to be at eye level with Noctis. Noctis zoned in on Prompto, who was standing to the side with a hand clutched tightly around his covered wrist. If he turned his head, the dim lighting flooding in from the kitchen would highlight the purple bruise blossoming on his left cheek. Noctis lightly pushed Ignis’ probing hands away from him, grabbing Ignis’ wrist and tugging lightly. 

“Did something happen to Prom?” Noctis whispered. “Was it his dad?”

Ignis froze. His eyes dashed between Noctis and Prompto, who had now drawn his attention to the floor.

“Did you know?”

Noctis shook his head, looking down at Ignis’ hand on his lap. It was shaking slightly. Noctis grabbed his hand, squeezing slightly in order to get his attention again. Prompto had now seemed to notice that the two had stopped talking.

“Noct, buddy, are you okay?” Prompto’s previous distant mood was now gone, all concern focused on his friend. “Why did you leave the hospital?”

Prompto knelt down beside Ignis. He looked down at their intertwined hands before chuckling. He grabbed Noctis’ other hand and squeezed. Noctis reciprocated the action with a small smile.

“I needed to see you. All of you. I thought Prompto’s was the best place to meet.” Noctis swallowed, his voice rough. Ignis stood up, letting go of Noctis’ hand slowly before heading to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

“Is something wrong?” Prompto asked, his grip tightening. “Did you go to your dad?”

“I can’t.” Noctis thanked Ignis when the glass was handed to him, drawing the drink to his chest and holding it there to enjoy the coldness of the glass. “It’s not something he can actually ever know about.”

“And you want us to know?” Ignis asked.

“You’re the only ones I trust.” Noctis said as he sipped from the glass. He placed the glass down on the uneven end table before holding his other hand out to Ignis. The advisor immediately took it, smiling at the boy. “Can you call Gladio?”

“He’s already on his way. I called him to come over before you arrived.” Ignis replied. “You know, for…”

Noctis followed his gaze to Prompto, who was now looking down. Noctis let go of the blond’s hand and reached up to trace his fingers over the bruise. Prompto flinched slightly, breathing in a sharp intake. After a second, he relaxed, knowing Noctis would never hurt him.

“You could have told me.” Noctis whispered and Prompto sighed sadly. “But it’s okay.”

Prompto looked up at Noctis, reaching up to wipe his nose. “Thanks, Noct.”

There was a moment of silence before Ignis leaned back to sit on the floor, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He looked at the time before sighing.

“Gladio should be here soon. Do either of you need anything?” Ignis pushed himself up, stretching his arms in the process.

“I’m fine.” Prompto muttered. He looked back over at Noctis, who was still seated on the couch as he stared forward at the chipped wallpaper on the wall in front of him, and moved to sit close to him. Their hands were still intertwined, and Prompto used it to tug Noctis’ towards him. They crashed into each other’s side, wincing at the bruises on both of their bodies, before relaxing in each other’s holds.

Prompto used to do this all the time when Noctis would wake up from nightmares, skin clammy and covered in sweat, eyes blood red, and phantom pains coursing through his chest. Prompto would hold his hand, whispering in his ear to calm him down. Noctis would apologize profusely, if it was for waking up the blonde or for letting him suffer all those years in his first life, Noctis would never know.

It seemed as if Noctis had begun to drift off, but the door slamming shut once more caused Noctis to jolt awake, knocking Prompto sideways on the couch and causing a hiss of pain to leave his best friend’s lips. Noct muttered a quick apology as he reached for Prompto’s arm and gently lifted the blond back up into a sitting position on the couch.

Noctis looked behind him as Ignis talked quietly with Gladio at the doorway. The shot the Prince a weary glance, as if they were contemplating holding back information. There were a few tense moments, and Noctis sucked in a sharp breath as he saw Gladio glance down at the phone in his hand, and then back up at Noctis.

“Do they know?” Noct asks as Prompto turns his attention to the other three. “Did you tell my dad?”

Gladio didn’t answer immediately, looking down at his phone one more time. He sighed before holding down the power button and switching it off. “Not yet.”

“How much time do I have before you cave?” Noctis smirked slightly as he spoke, twisting around to pull his knees up onto the couch and leaned his arms on the back. 

“An hour. Max.” Gladio said as he slipped off his shoes and moved to sit in the armchair next to the couch. “I got a text from dad asking if I knew where you were. Why did you sneak out?”

Noctis went to shrug, his usual answer to any questions asked of him, but he paused. “I needed to see you guys without any royal eyes and ears around.”

He looked up at his three friends in front of him. Ignis, who had been by his side since he was a kid, who had carried him through his darkest moments and made sure he always had his head on straight. Ignis, who made Noctis his favorite meals and even though he tried to sneak vegetables in, he always knew Noctis would never eat them. He helped Noct learn everything he needed to know for the council and how to grow up and become a good King, just like he had before.

Then there was Gladio, who had always been an older brother to him, who had worked him to the bone, only to nurse him back to health no matter how bruised he was. He always knew how to relieve his stress when his thoughts were everywhere. He would sneak Noct out of the Citadel on nights that were too quiet and filled them with the lights of the city and underage drinking. He protected Noctis from everything, physically and emotional, just like he had before.

And finally there was Prompto, who had been his best friend when everyone else was afraid to be, who had always made him smile even when his stomach turned with nerves and blame for everything that happened to the blond, even if it wasn’t in this life. He knew how to make Noctis laugh as they laid beside each other on the couch, a movie playing on the screen but no attention focused on it. He would calm Noctis down after nightmares and rub his back when he was vomiting at three in the morning. He kept a light in the dark for Noctis, just like he had before.

Ignis moved to sit on the floor again in front of the two on the couch. There was silence. A child cried in the apartment next door. A car honked its horn on the street below.

“Where do I start?” Noctis whispers, chuckling under his breath. Prompto’s hand, which he didn’t even notice he was still holding, squeezed tightly.

“Maybe your party?” Gladio suggested, moving to lay back in the chair more comfortably. “We still aren’t exactly sure what happened.”

“Uh, yeah. That day was..” Noctis trailed off, thinking of the right way to describe that trainwreck of a day. 

“A lot.” Prompto muttered. His breath became staggered as he looked down. “You scared us real bad that day, dude.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Noctis says sincerely. “It was a very unexpected turn of events, if I’m being honest.”

Noctis decided to throw caution to the wind as he went into detail about his time in Reflection. He spoke of his willingness to change his gift, of the Astral’s agreement, and the price he had to pay. He saw his friend’s eyes soften with true pity as he described how each sword tore through his skin.

The air was thick as Noctis finished up his story.

“When I woke up in the hospital, I felt empty.” Noctis lifted his arms before dropping them down again to pick at his hoodie. “It took me a few days to get my thoughts in order and to fully understand what happened. The night before I spoke to you guys, something happened.”

“Wait.” Prompto said as he shifted next to Noctis, who had pulled him into his side when Prompto had started to cry during Noctis’ story. “You never explained what your gift was. If that’s, like, okay to talk about.”

“No, you’re right.” Noctis said as he smiled at Prompto. “I had a gift in mind before I went into Reflection and when I thought of it, I guess it was too much to give away. I had to pay a price, I had to feel what it was like.”

“Feel what?” Ignis asked.

Noctis paused, Stella’s words ringing in his ears. He shouldn’t tell them, he shouldn't put them in danger. Even so, Noctis could keep all of this bottled up inside. “Death.”

Silence once more. The sink leaked small drops of water into the sink. Prompto’s nails dug in Noctis’ arm.

“I can see when someone is going to die. I don’t really know how it works, I’m still learning I guess.” Noctis looked down, his chest aching. “When I asked about that woman in the hospital-”

“It’s because you knew.” Ignis cut him off. “How?”

“The night before. I could just tell, I guess.” Noctis lied slightly. He couldn’t tell them about Etro, not yet at least. “Which this leads us to the fact of my father.”

“What about your father?” Gladio sat up.

“He’s been really...suspicious.” Noctis said. “And those healing vials he’s been giving me, something’s up with them.”

“I’ve already looked at them for you.” Ignis said. “There wasn’t anything too suspicious.”

“Yeah, but I overheard him talking. They’re going to change them. I don’t know if that’s good or bad yet.”

Noctis sighed, running a hand through his hair. “There is one more thing.”

Noctis looked out the dirty window beside the small kitchen table, the sun starting to set. It had definitely been longer than an hour, but nobody wanted to move. Noctis was opening up, and they didn’t want him to stop.

“I am-I’ve been very distant.” Noctis started, closing his eyes as memories flashed behind his eyes. The waters of Galdin Quay, the street vendors at Lestallum, the syllablossems of Tenebrae, and the smell of metal and oil at Zegnautus Keep. “I’ve been keeping secrets because I don’t want to hurt you guys.”

“You could never hurt us.” Gladio said. “We are here to protect you, you know that.”

“Yeah.” Noctis nodded, his eyes still closed and tilted towards the ground. He looked up, his eyes unknowingly a light shade of purple. “Yeah, I know. But I also need to protect all of you. As a King and as a friend.”

Prompto wiggled his way out of Noctis’ arm, leaning back to look at the Prince. He looked over at Ignis, the two noticing the Prince’s change in eye color.

“You guys don’t have to believe me, it would be crazy if you do. But I know things, things that haven’t happened. Things that will happen. I just ask that you trust me. Everything I’m doing, everything that is going to happen, it’s to save you guys and everyone else.”

“Noctis-” Ignis started as he sat up on his knees, reaching forward to place a hand on Noctis’ knee.

“We can’t trust my father. We can’t trust the Kingsglaive, except Nyx. And we definitely can't trust the Empire, obviously.”

A small smile crossed Gladio’s lips. “That’s a given.”

“Yeah.” Noctis let out a breathless laugh, looking down at the hand on his knee. “But I have to be sure.”

Noctis met all of their eyes, his gaze soft and still lilac. “I have to be sure I can trust all of you with my life.”

Ignis was the first to move, followed quickly by Gladio. A hand balled in a fist flew to their heart, their heads bowed. Prompto scotted back again, looking at the other two. He itched his wrist, but stopped himself quickly. His eyes met Noctis’, clear blue to swirling lilac, and he bowed his head, a fist over his heart.

“You can trust us.” Gladio muttered.

“Always.” Ignis followed.

“With your life.” Prompto finished.

Noctis smiled at his friends. They looked up at him, smiles on their faces as well.

“We have to have a plan. I’ve got one, sorta.”

“Sorta?” Gladio asked.

“It’s a work in progress.” Noctis shot back, rolling his eyes. “You try making a plan while high on drugs from the hospital.”

Gladio held his hands up in surrender.

“So, what’s your semi-plan?” Prompto asked, his eyes sparkling in exciting.

“Well, we can’t let anyone know about this. What is said here, stays here.”

Once everyone nodded, Noctis swallowed the lump in his throat. He was ready. He could trust them. But once he spoke, he knew everything would change. Trust would be testing, families would be divided.

But worst of all, the eyes he stared into now, the innocent eyes of his brothers would never be the same after that day.

“So, here’s the plan…”


	14. Capricious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ca·pri·cious  
> /kəˈpriSHəs/  
> adjective  
> given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! i hope i wasn't gone for too long. this new chapter is pretty different from what has happened so far, so i hope you guys enjoy.   
> also, small tw i guess because there are small scenes/mentionings of self-induced vomiting.  
> but, until next time, i hope y'all enjoy the chapter! :)

_“My son. Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss.”_

_“What I mean is that I’m going to help you train. Good practice for both of us, right?”_

_"Tell me, if you had the chance to live your life all over again, what would you do?”_

_“I don’t want to sign it. But I don’t think I have a choice.”_ _“I am afraid you had no choice to begin with.”_

_“Promise me you will save her and you will save yourself. No matter what, Nyx, you must save her. You can’t come back for me, you are not allowed to save me. Do you understand?”_

_"You must know that I am here to help you, no matter what. My allegiance is with you, Oh King of Kings. No matter what, if you need me, I’ll be there.”_

_“You will need to commune with each of the crystals and gain a gift from each. In doing so, you will gain the full power of the Kings and you will in turn release this half of my soul from the world of the dead. I’ll be able to go back to my physical body and be able to help you from down here.”_

_“Oh Noct, you could never scare me.”_

_“There is a price when it comes to seeing death. The gift of seeing death is just as bad as the gift of giving death. So, one must know what death feels like.”_

_“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to know. It’ll just take time. Do you have the patience?”_

_“I’m going to save you. I promise.”_

_“But I need to protect you. As a King, and as a friend.”_

_“Always.”_

 

Noctis shot awake, his head pounding and his throat dry. He quickly blinked away his panic, a breath leaving his lips at a steady pace. He looked over at his bedside, the clock showing 4:59 before changing to 5:00. A chiming came from the clock and Noctis leaned over to turn it off. He didn’t spend an extra second in the bed, pushing the sheets off and following through his morning routine. He showered, brushed his teeth and hair, and quickly slipped on his Crownsguard outfit. He paused from leaving his room to look at the calendar tacked onto his wall, a red marker resting on the desk below it. He sighed as he looked at the words written under the date.

_‘Noctis’ Twentieth Birthday’_

He brushed past the calendar, the pages fluttering as he pulled the door open and exited into the hallway, making his way to training. Two guards fell in line behind him, their footfalls echoing in sync. He reached the training room a few minutes before training started, noticing that Cor was speaking to Clarus and Gladio across the way. 

Gladio’s eyes met Noctis’ and he smiled brightly. He said something to Cor and his father before hurrying over to the Prince. Something stirred in Noctis before a feeling of calm emptiness filled him again, numbing his senses. 

“Morning Noct.” Gladio said as he clapped Noctis on the shoulder. The latter didn’t react. “Happy Birthday!”

Noctis’ eyes trailed from Gladio down to the hand on his shoulder. “Thanks.”

Gladio’s expression immediately changed, concern covering his face. “You okay?”

Noctis nodded stiffly. “I’m fine.”

Gladio didn’t move his hand, his grip actually tightened. “What did you do last night after training?”

Noctis blinked. His face, which had no emotion shown on it, changed slightly as his brow furrowed. He tried to recall what he had done last night, but he couldn’t remember anything. The last thing he could remember was-

Noctis sucked in a sharp breath, the most emotion he had shown that whole day. Gladio seemed to understand, letting go of Noctis and stepping closer to him.

“Meet me after training.” Gladio whispered. Noctis nodded in agreement before his eyes seemed to glaze over, his body stiff as he brushed past Gladio and headed to the middle of the training room.

Gladio watched sadly as Noctis grabbed a sword from the rack on the wall, turning it in his hand before warping to the other side of the room. He didn’t stumble as he landed and he wasn’t anywhere near fatigued. He continued these motions, getting himself ready for the brutal training his father always had for him.

Gladio turned away as Noctis began to spar with Cor, the sound of metal clashing against metal meeting his ears. Gladio pulled out his phone, quickly shooting a text in the group chat he had with Prompto and Ignis. All it had was a location and time, but he knew they would understand what it meant.

Gladio watched as Noctis dodged blows from Cor, grabbing the man’s arm and twisting as his foot came in contact with the back of Cor’s knee. The Immortal crumbled but managed to bring Noctis down with him. The sword flew out of Noctis’ hand as Cor pinned him to the floor. There was a flash of red in Noctis’ eyes before he warped out from under Cor and ended up behind the man, standing up.

Noctis had been learning a lot of new tricks since he had started his new training regimen shortly after his sixteenth birthday. He could warp short distances without his weapons, and he could control a free fall warp with ease. 

Noctis was brutal on the battlefield. His movements were precise and swift. His eyes were always clouded over, his senses numbed as he fought without mercy.

This change in Noctis was almost overnight, scaring his friends the first time it happened. They didn’t know what was wrong or what was causing his sudden change in demeanor, but they knew that the Noctis they were staring at was not their friend.

Noctis seemed to notice the change as well, although it took him much longer. Those healing vials, the ones that he knew his father was going to change, seemed to be the problem. He would be forced to drink them after every training session, which meant almost twice a day. After drinking them, his mind seemed to clear, all his thoughts pushed out of his head as he seemed to float between consciousness. Sometimes he would wake up the next morning and not remember anything from the night before. 

Noctis’ eyes cleared suddenly, his posture changing slightly, enough for a training dummy to swing their sword low and knock Noctis off his feet and on to his back.

Noctis groaned as footsteps came towards him. He looked up as his father leaned over him. He _tsked_ while looking away from Noctis.

“You must stay focused. We talked about this.” Regis said as he stepped back enough for Noctis to stand again. “That’s enough for today.”

“Understood.” Noctis said monotonically. He moved without orders, walking towards Cor who held out a vial for Noctis to drink. Noctis’ hand hesitated for a second before grabbing the vial and chugging down the liquid. He forced himself not to gag, something he has gotten much better at, before spotting Gladio by the doorway.

He bowed his head towards Cor before heading to Gladio. His shield wrapped a hand around his arm and began to drag him out of the room and down the hall. Gladio shoved him in the elevator quickly and clicked the top floor. 

The elevator opened and the two hurried down the hallway which was mostly deserted since most of the rooms on the higher floors were guest rooms. They moved towards the farthest door on the right, Gladio making them stop before he tapped a certain rhythmic knock.

There was movement and the door was opened. Prompto moved out of the way so they could enter the bedroom. Gladio didn’t even greet Prompto as he dragged Noctis towards the bathroom, whose light was already on.

Ignis was in the bathroom, flipping the lid of the toilet up while placing a stack of towels on the counter. He turned his attention to the two as they entered. He grabbed Noctis’ hands and pushed him towards the sink.

“How long?” Ignis asked Gladio as Noctis washed his hands without looking up at the mirror. 

"Only a few minutes.”

Noctis moves past the two, kneeling down in front of the toilet. Ignis quickly scurried behind him, pushing the Prince's hair back.

“Don’t push yourself, you know the drill.”

Noctis nodded, opening his mouth and pushing two fingers to the back of his mouth. He gagged, acid burning up his throat and nose. He pushed again, gagging even worse before he quickly pulled his hand back and vomited into the toilet. Gladio stood by the bathroom door, looking over at Prompto who was guarding the bedroom door. Ignis continued to hold Noctis’ fringe back from his forehead while rubbing small circles on his back. 

It took a few minutes until Noctis was completely settled down, spitting up extra stomach acid and phlegm. He gasped, his eyes clearing up to his crystal blue and his body sagging into Ignis’ arms.

“Noctis?” 

Noctis nodded, spitting into the toilet once more before pushing himself up.

“Gods, this sucks.”

Ignis smiled as Noctis leaned down to rinse out his mouth in the sink. He then took a large swing of water and swallowed, wincing at the pain in his throat.

“You know, I’m starting to think that this plan of yours sucks.”

Gladio had moved from the door to the small table in the room, beckoning Prompto over to sit with him.

“It’s not ideal.” Ignis agreed with the Prince's shield as he led Noctis to the table as well, a small towel being dabbed to his forehead to get rid of the thin layer of sweat.

“Well, do you have something better?” Noctis asked, his voice raw. “I have to drink those vials, they watch me drink them. The Crystal heals my throat every time, so we don’t have to worry about any permanent damage.” Noctis rubbed his throat as the inside tingled with healing magic.

“Can’t we replace them?” Prompto asked. “Find a way to switch them out.”

“There’s no way without any noticing.” Gladio said. “The only person who knows how to unlock the case with the vials is Cor.”

“And we all know Cor will never tell us how to unlock it.” Prompto said as he moved his chair closer to Noctis so the Noctis could lean his head on the blond’s shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.” Noctis mumbled. “Has anyone heard from Nyx recently?”

“Not for two days.” Gladio reached over towards Ignis as the advisor pulled out a small black box. “He’s still out with the Kingsglaives. You can try to contact him if you want.”

Noctis nodded as he took the box from Gladio’s hands, opening it up and pulling out the earpiece from his sixteenth birthday. He put it in his ear as he saw Ignis and Gladio stand from the table and go to clean up the bathroom. Prompto slipped out of his chair and moved to sit on the table right in front of Noctis, his legs swinging out and lightly tapping Noctis’ calves.

“Nyx?” Noctis asked as he tapped the device in his ear. There was a beat of silence and then static. Noctis sighed, tapping the device again to reconnect the feed. “Nyx?”

More static followed and Noctis leaned back in his chair, keeping the device in his ear. He waited a few minutes, casually playing on his phone while Prompto occasionally showed him a meme off his phone. 

Noctis jumped when static rang through the earpiece and Nyx’s voice came through.

“Prince Noctis?”

“Nyx!” Noct exclaimed as he sat up straight, tossing his phone onto the table beside Prompto. The blond leaned forward so his ear was close to Noctis’ ear so he could hear Nyx.

“How have you been, Your Highness?” Nyx asked, his breathing coming in short burst as if the man was exhausted.

“Could be better. How about you?” 

“Could be better.” There was movement on Nyx’s side, followed by a laugh as Nyx grunted. “Crowe, knock it off.”

Noctis smiled as a female laugh was heard again. “Crowe’s with you?”

“Yeah, and Libertus. They’re both being annoying.” Nyx practically whined as Prompto chuckled. “Is the blond chocobo with you?”

“Hey!” Prompto gasped in offense.

“Yeah. The others aren’t, though.” Noctis paused. “Do you need them here?”

“Would be helpful. I’ve got some news.” Nyx said as his voice changed, a serious tone flowing through the earpiece. “Crowe found something you might like.”

Noctis nodded, asking Prompto to fetch the others while he got up and reached into Ignis’ bag. It had the essentials for when they had these private meetings: notebooks, pens, Ignis’ laptop, and multiple textbooks from the restricted library. Noctis reached for the laptop while grabbing a USB cable from the bag. He turned on the laptop, plugging in the cord and pulling out the earpiece. He plugged the earpiece into the other end of the cable and quickly pulled up an audio app.

“Nyx? Can you hear me?” Noctis asked as he switched the audio from the earpiece to the laptop speakers.

“Loud and clear, Noct.” Nyx replied, his voice flowing through the speakers as the background noises of Glaives bustling around and Libertus making a god awful joke that somehow made Crowe laugh. “You ready?”

Noctis turned around as Gladio and Ignis hurried back into the room with Prompto behind them. They sat down as Prompto returned to his seat upon the table.

“Whatcha got?” Noctis asked as he leaned back, massaging his head as a dull headache began to spread behind his skull.

There were quiet whispers before someone cleared their throat. “Um, your-your Highness.” Crowe muttered, nervousness in her voice.

“Crowe, how many times have I asked you to call me Noctis?” Noctis chuckled as he accepted the notepad being handed to him by Ignis.

“A lot.” The short answer came from Libertus, followed by a yelp as Crowe punched him in the arm.

“Sorry, Noctis.” Crowe said, the words still force but more relaxed this time. “I just- well, we’ve been looking into those tombs you were talking about, and that key you gave us.”

Noctis hummed in agreement, remembering how difficult it was for him to find the key to the royal tombs and find someone who could make a replica without asking questions.

“Well, we found one.”

Noctis sat up, his eyes meeting his companions. “Which one?” Ignis asked as he tossed a pen to Noctis.

“The one inside Balouve Mines.” There was a rustling of paper. “Um, the Tomb of the Clever?”

“You went inside Balouve Mines?” Noctis asked, his pen clicking against the notepad. “That’s a few miles from where you guys are stationed. How’d you manage that?”

“You can do a lot of things if you know the right people.” Libertus piped in. “Just took a little convincing to get us a car and take a look.”

“It’s the only tomb we’ve come across so far.” Nyx said. “But your information was a little off.”

“What do you mean?” Noctis asked.

“That key you gave us to open the tombs,” Crowe said. “It’s useless. There’s no keyhole. We couldn’t get inside the tomb.”

Noctis stopped his clicking, dropping the pen to the paper. His head swarmed with thoughts, reasons why the key was useless. 

“Then why would Cor have the key?” Noctis asked. “If not for the tombs, then what is it for?”

“I don’t know, kid.” Nyx said. “But we did figure something else out.” There was more rustling, followed by the sound of a camera click. “I just sent Prompto a photo. Look at it and tell me what you think.”

At that moment, Prompto’s phone pinged with a notification. Prompto hurriedly pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up his text messages. There were two photos attached. One of them was of the door to the Tomb of the Clever. There was indeed no keyhole. Instead, an intricate pattern of stone vines wrapped around the door. Noctis swiped the screen to look at the next photo before he paused. It was again a photo of the tomb, only this time there was blue sparkling energy surrounding the door.

“The second photo was taken after Crowe tried to touch the door.” Nyx said after a lapse of silence. “It’s similar to the energy the Crystal emits, the same one that-”

“Gives the Glaives their powers, yeah.” Noctis cut Nyx off, his pen tapping even faster against the table. Ignis leaned over and covered the Prince’s hand, shooting his a weary look. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Are you sure you need a key for these tombs?”

“I am.” Noctis quickly replied before he leaned back again. “I mean, I was.”

There was silence as Noctis motioned for Prompto’s phone again. He focused on the pictures looking at both the one of the stone vines and then the one of the tomb door. He paused on the second photo, zooming in.

“I think I know who to ask about this.” Noctis said. “Just give me a day, okay?”

“Whatever you need.” Nyx replied. “Do you need anything else from us?”

“Just to get back safe.” Noctis replied. He sighed as he handed the phone back to Prompto. “Thank you for the information.”

“Of course. Be safe, Noctis.”

“You too.”

There was a chorus of goodbyes from both Kingsglaives and Crownsguards before static covered their feed. 

Noctis groaned as he pushed his chair back. He rubbed his head as his headache got worse, turning to face Prompto.

“Can you send me those photos?”

“Of course.” Prompto replied as he immediately pulled out as his phone and began to send the text.

“Who are you going to talk to?” Ignis asked.

“Is it your mysterious friend who you tell us nothing about?” Gladio interjected as Ignis quickly elbowed in the ribs, obviously trying to get him to shut up.

Noctis sighed for the umpteenth time, making his way towards the door. “You’ll know when it’s time.” He quickly stepped out, slamming the door shut behind him.

  


Noctis groaned as he landed face-first in his bed, moonlight streaming in through the open blinds. His body ached from the exertion of training and the exhaustion after having vomited mere minutes earlier. His eyesight was still hazy and his thoughts jumbled up, but he still was aware enough to push himself up and look towards the moon. He closed his eyes, thinking of pink eyes and blonde hair. He opened his eyes and watched as Stella moved to sit beside him on the bed.

“How are you feeling?” She asked as she tilted her head to the side. 

“Pretty horrible.” Noctis said lightly, smiling at the girl. She laughed, moving so that she was fully facing Noctis.

“You needed my help?”

Noctis nodded, reaching over to his bedside table and unplugging his phone. He pulled up his texts with Prompto, scrolling up a bit in order to find the photos. He clicked on the one of the stone vines and turned the phone to Stella.

“Do you anything about this? It’s the door to the Tomb of the Clever. There was no keyhole.”

Stella scooted closer, looking at the small screen. Her eyes widened slightly, a hum of approval bubbling out of her throat.

“There is no keyhole because you don’t need one.” She reached forward and motioned for Noctis to scroll to the next photo. He did so and she smiled. “Doesn’t that magic look familiar?”

“It’s from the Crystal, I know.” Noctis said, not even turning the photo back to himself.

“Look closer, it’s more than that.”

Noctis flipped the phone around, looking at the photo he had looked at multiple times throughout the day. He zoomed in, pushing the image around the screen as he focused on the glow of the Crystal’s energy. He suddenly stopped, looking at a certain patch of the magic. He blinked, tried to zoom in some more, and then looked up towards Stella.

“The Light…”

“Uh-huh.” Stella said as she stood. “It’s calling out to you Noctis. Only you can open those tombs because the Light stops those who can’t see it.”

Noctis nodded, quickly standing and rushing towards his window. The light had begun to shine through the dark sky, piercing the dark abyss in rays of white.

“But what about the key? It’s the same key from before, but it must have a different purpose.”

“You want to know if I know its purpose, but I don’t. I’m sorry.”

Noctis nodded, looking down as he wrapped his hand around his curtains and pulled them closed. He turned to look at Stella, a white glow surrounding her. It was much brighter than before, in the days from the hospital. Even so, she still had time.

“How much time do have left?” Stella asked, looking at her hand as she outstretched it, hoping to see the white light around her.

“Enough.” Noctis said, the same answer as always. “But I’m going to save you, okay? If everything goes as it should, Niflheim should declare their intentions for the peace treaty. Then everything will start.”

Noctis paused, looking from his calendar pinned to the wall, and then at the base of his bed where all the notes, maps, and journals he had been collected over the years was stored. Everything he knew, everything he had been preparing for, it was about to begin. The next morning, Noctis would wake up and he would be informed of a peace treaty being offered to Lucis. He would be told he would need to marry Princess Stella of Tenebrae, and that he would need to meet her in Altissa. He would walk beside his brothers straight towards the beginning of the end. It would be his second chance, his chance to save his people, his friends, and himself.

“We just have to be ready.”


	15. A Call For Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, so ive kinda been gone for a while. im reallyyyy sorry for that. school started again and my college classes start on Monday so it’s been a lot. due to this, I think im going to change my schedule so i’ll update every other week until things start to die down. im sorry for the delay and hopefully i’ll be back to uploading once a week again soon. but, of course, I hope y’all enjoy the new chapter! :)

Noctis sat with his eyes forward, staring at the plain wall of his father’s study. The clock ticked in the background, droning on as Noctis’ eyes fogged over to cover the blue. He blinked quickly, trying to clear his head in order to focus on the task at hand, but the drugs running through his veins made him momentarily forget what he was supposed to ask.

Noctis didn’t move when the office door opened or when his father sat down in front of him behind the desk.

“You wanted to see me?” Regis asked as he began to pull a stack of papers over so he could begin working on them.

Noctis curtly nodded, his nails digging into his palm in order to pull his thoughts together.

“I wanted to ask you about-” Noctis stopped short, a storm behind his eyes. He dug his nails in deeper until his palms bled. “I wanted to talk to you about my trip.”

“What about it? Everything should be in order.” Regis replied, slowly looking up from his paperwork.

“Everything is, it’s just,” Noctis paused, a sigh leaving his lips. “I have one concern.”

“And that is?”

“I’m not going.”

Regis dropped his pen, looking up at Noctis with a shocked look. If Noctis looked close enough, he swore he could see fear behind his father's eyes.

“I’m sorry, what?”

 

“You told him what!?” Ignis exclaimed as Noctis stepped out of the bathroom, having just returned from training and proceeded to ceremoniously vomit up everything in his stomach.

“That I’m not going.” Noctis shrugged as he sat down on his bed, laying back on the pillows and blindly reaching for his blanket. “I’m staying here for the peace treaty signing.”

“And what made you come to that decision?” Ignis asked as he grabbed the boy’s blanket and threw it over his body. “You need to meet with Princess Stella in Altissa for your marriage.”

Noctis chuckled, wrapping the blanket around him. “Stella is not going to be in Altissia.”

Ignis looked up towards the Prince, an eyebrow raised. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, she’s coming here for the signing. Hence, I’m staying.” Noctis rolled over, groaning slightly at a pain in his side from a rough training session. He pulled the blanket closer, his hair blending in with the black material.

“Something tells me that isn’t the only reason you are insisting on staying.” Ignis stood, moving to sit on the edge of the Prince’s bed. 

Noctis didn’t answer, rolling over again as he curled into a ball in order to conserve heat. Ignis sighed, reaching up to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Noctis, if you remember, we made a promise.”

Ignis heard a small mumble from Noctis before he threw the blanket off his head. “I know.”

“We aren’t supposed to keep anything from each other.”

“I _know._ ” Noctis repeated, stressing the words as he sat up, his hand reaching up to mess with his now unruly hair. “It’s just, I don’t know. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

Noctis lied straight through his teeth, as if it was the easiest thing for him. He lied because he had to protect them.

“What kind of ‘bad feeling’?”

“Like we’ve got to get allies, quick.” Noctis said. “Once Nyx, Libertus, and Crowe get back we need to talk about this treaty signing. We need to be on high alert.”

“And I understand that this stays in our group? We can’t inform your father?”

“I’ll tell him. At the right time, at least.” Noctis leaned to look around his advisor’s body, spotting the clock on his nightstand.

“You can sleep for a few hours. I’ll wake you when Gladio is ready.”

“Thanks, Specs.” Noctis yawned, leaning back in bed and promptly throwing his blanket back over his head.

“Always.”

It was only a few hours before Noctis was awoken by a hand shaking his shoulder. He grumbled under his breath, shooing away Ignis’ hand as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

“Gladio’s ready. Are you okay?”

Noctis nodded, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he stood. Ignis promptly stopped him, grabbing Noctis’ chin between his fingers and forcing their eyes to meet. Once Ignis was sure Noctis’ eyes were clear he let go, passing him a black cloak.

“Don’t be late.”

“I won’t.” Noctis simply replied, throwing on the cloak and heading out onto the balcony of his bedroom before jumping over the ledge.

Noctis warped quickly, landing on the ground behind a row of neatly trimmed hedges. He snuck towards one of the side gates and warped through to the other side as the guards changed shifts. Noctis moved towards the city’s streets, looking back at the citadel. His eyes shifted upwards as the sky split and Etro’s light shone down onto the streets of Insomnia.

Noctis pulled out his phone, texting Gladio to meet him at the nearby clinic before blending in with the groups of people ready to go out and probably party since it was a Friday night. He got a reply back from Gladio confirming the location as he cut through an alleyway that would lead him straight to the small clinic usually visited by the lower class. He followed the stream of light that slithered through the alleys and lead towards the doors of the clinic. The glass was tinted with dirt and the hinges were rusted. The sign above the door was barely lit as a child’s cry traveled through the wind out of an open window.

Noctis watched as Gladio walked towards the clinic from his right, his eyes quickly meeting Noctis’ before he nodded, opening the door and heading inside. Noctis moved forward, walking around the building before stopping behind one of the dumpsters. The back door was in his line of view, the light surrounding it. It was only a few seconds before the door opened and Gladio was motioning for Noct to follow.

Noctis ran around the dumpster, pulling his hood farther down his head as he moved past Gladio’s frame. He followed the light as it moved down the hallway before stopping at a door three down from the back entrance. He looked back at Gladio who immediately moved to guard the door as Noctis slowly opened the door. 

A young boy laid upon the small cot in the corner of the room. The light rested over his body, focusing on his legs. Noctis looked over at the other side of the room where an older man laid fast asleep. There was no light around him.

Noctis moved over to the young boy, careful to not wake the other sleeping form. Noctis knelt down at the boy’s bedside, looking over him before looking down at the boy’s legs. He gently pushed aside the thin blanket covering the boy. Noctis sucked in a short breathe as he noticed the poorly stitched gashes down the boy’s legs.

Noctis sighed, quickly summoning a potion from the armiger and cracking it open above the boy’s legs. The skin immediately began to pull together, slowing stitching itself up. Noctis looked up as the boy began to rustle, seemingly pulled out of sleep from the pain of his legs healing. The boy’s eyes shot open, a muddled green color. He met Noctis’ gaze who simply smiled, pulling the blanket back over the boy as he placed a finger over his lips. The boy mimicked his action, watching as Noctis stood and moved out of the room.

He closed the door quietly as Gladio shot him a questioning look. Noctis just smiled and nudged Gladio away from the door. Noctis scanned the hallway again, noticing how the light towards the little boy room began to dim. The boy would be just fine.

“We can go.”

Gladio nodded in affirmation as he walked in front of Noctis back towards the exit of the clinic. Noctis stopped short of the back door, looking through the opening of the door to the right of the exit. Noctis hesitated before moving closer to the door. There was a single cot in the room where the person on the bed rolled over, the blanket previously pulled over the person’s head falling down to reveal a mess of blonde hair. Noctis sucked in a sharp breath, blinding reaching behind him to paw at Gladio’s arm.

“What?” Gladio whispered harshly, promptly followed by Noctis shushing him.

“Where did Prompto say he was tonight?” Noctis asked, his hand resting upon the door handle.

“Said he was home, his dad was back in town.” Noctis could hear the stress in his shield’s voice, the uneasiness of Prompto being alone with his father. “Why?”

Noctis nodded towards the room, stepping back so Gladio could peak in. He watched as Gladio’s body tensed.

“He looks sick.” Gladio said. “Is there-”

“No. No light.” Noctis quickly said. “Can we help him?”

“If he needed our help, he would have told us if he was here.” Gladio explained. “Plus, we don't have anything to give him.”

Noctis looked back at Prompto again as he shifted in the bed. Prompto’s eyes started to blink open, causing Noctis to panic. He shoved Gladio towards the back door and quickly followed him out of the clinic.

“We will talk to him about it later. We’ve got to go.” Noctis quickly said as the two headed off towards the dark alleys, hoods pulled over their heads as Etro’s light retracted behind the clouds.

 

Noctis dodged an array of bullets as they flew towards him. He warped to move faster, surging forward and knocking down one of the mock MTs with his Engine Blade. He flipped backwards, using the now crumbling MT as a vault, and tossed a Fira flask towards a group of three MTs. He watched as the last of his enemies for his training burned into the sand, his face void of emotion as his eyes stayed fogged over.

Noctis turned slowly to face the source of light applause, his eyes meeting his father’s across the room.

“Well done, my son.” Regis said. Noctis answered simply with a bow of his head.

Regis motioned for Noctis to follow him as he turned to leave the room. Noctis nodded, walking towards the door before stopping to turn towards Cor, who was leaning against the door frame. Cor reached his hand out to hand Noctis the vial for the day when Regis’ hand suddenly laid over his son’s.

“Don’t worry about that.” Regis said as he took the vial and summoned it into his own Armiger. “You won’t need that tonight.”

Regis and Cor met each other’s gaze, a silent message sent between the two simply saying: _we will talk later._ Cor bowed his head to Regis, taking one last glance at Noctis as a small smile formed on his face.

Noctis, seemed to have not noticed the interaction, simply followed his father down the hall towards Regis’ study. They passed by Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto on their way, the three abruptly stopping their conversation as the two royals passed, bowing quickly. Noctis could feel their eyes on his back as his continued his trek behind his father.

Once inside Regis’ study, Noctis sat himself down at his usual spot on the opposite side of his father’s desk. His head was starting to clear, having been able to get rid of the potion vial from before training due to the extensive exercise and having not taken the one afterwards. His eyes were starting to clear, and it was obvious that Regis was watching for Noctis’ reaction.

There was a beat of silence as Noctis looked up at his father, the image hazy as he tried to focus on the King. Regis cleared his throat, reaching for a file on his desk. The pages were laminated as small print scrolled across the parchment paper. A leather cover was bound to the pages as beautifully clear silver text covered the front. It was the peace treaty. 

Noctis couldn’t figure out what to focus on, his father or the treaty. His answer was given when Regis started to speak.

“You came to me the other day asking to stay for the treaty signing.” Regis said, his head coming to rest on top of the treaty to pull it back towards him. “Do you remember?”

“Yes.” Noctis answer, his voice impassive. He coughed, trying to clear his lungs as they felt like tar was sticking to the inside. He really needed to vomit.

“And I asked you to come back to me with a reason. Do you have one?” 

Noctis remembered the conversation as it came back to him in pieces. He had practically demanded to stay in Insomnia with no reason at all. His father’s eyes still burned in the back of his mind, the fear clouding over them sending a chill down Noctis’ spine. Regis had said that he needed a reason, and a very good one at that, in order to allow Noctis to stay. Noctis had a hard time finding a response. He couldn’t give away that he knew what would happen, how the whole peace treaty was a fraud. 

“Noctis.” Noctis looked up, seeming to have been lost in his thoughts. “Do you have a reason?”

Noctis opened his mouth, his eyes finally clearing to their normal blue. He quickly closed his mouth, looking down where his dirt caked and bruised hands laid limply in his lap. “No.”

Regis’ chair scratched against the floor as he stood, moving towards his son. He grabbed the back of Noctis’ chair, pulling it back and moving to kneel in front of the Prince.

“Noctis.” Regis’ voice was gently. His hand moved up to reach under Noctis’ chin, forcing the boy’s head up so their eyes could meet. “What do you know?”

Noctis’ breath stuttered, his eyes beginning to darken as black seeped in along the edges. Black meant fear, and if Regis had found out that Noctis knew of future events, then Noctis was very, _very_ afraid.

“I don’t...I mean-” Noctis’ mouth was dry, his tongue refusing to work. The black crept in more, obstructing his view. 

“Noctis, breathe.” Regis’ voice cut through the darkness. Noctis’ eyes fell shut, a staggered breath leaving his lips. He forced his heart to slow and his mind to stop reeling with worst case scenarios. “You know something, don’t you?”

Noctis opened his eyes, looking at the concerned look on his father’s face. Could he trust him? He had done nothing but push Noctis to his limits, turn him into a cold hearted killer. He had been strict, a stark contrast from moments like these.

“You know it’s a trap, don’t you?”

They couldn’t trust him, that’s what Noctis had said. They couldn’t tell his father, it was their secret. But wasn’t his father the one who should know? If he knew, would he end up dead like before? This could be a trap right now. If Noctis told his father that he knew of Insomnia’s fall, it might just solidify his father’s reasoning to send him away, even if there is no one waiting for him in Altissia. It could also get him in huge trouble with the gods. If he told Regis now of everything that would happen, and he could somehow stop the fall, would the gods know that it was Noctis who had intervened? How would that mess with the prophecy? And is the prophecy even the same?

“I can’t let you die.” 

The words tumbled from Noctis’ lips before he could stop himself, the black fading away as his eyes became tinted with gray. Gray meant sadness, and the radio broadcasts confirming his father’s death rand through his head. It hurt the first time, and it will certainly hurt the second.

“Noct…” Regis’ hand moved from the boy’s chin to his cheek. Noctis’ instinctively leaned into the warmth, having missed the comfort of his father. “Why do you think I’m going to die?”

“You said it’s a trap. They’re going to attack.”

“Yes, I know.” Regis sighed. “That’s why you have to leave.”

Noctis quickly shook his head, sniffling quietly as his nose began to feel stuffed. “That’s why I have to stay.”

“You can’t stop it, Noctis. Even I can’t.” 

“You don’t know that!” Noctis exclaimed, pulling back to look at his father. His voice dropped to a whisper, the gray intensifying. “You don’t know that.”

Regis sighed, pushing himself up to stand. He moved towards the bookshelf on the far wall of his office. He stopped in front of him, looking down as he took a deep breath.

“Everything is preordained, Noctis. You can’t change things like this.”

“What about the prophecy?” Noctis stood so fast his chair fell backwards. The sound of the wood crashing to the floor didn’t stop him as he moved quickly towards his father. “You think that’s going to stop me from trying to save you? To save my kingdom?”

Regis was silent, refusing to turn to face his son. “No, Noctis, I don’t think it will stop you.” 

Regis reached forward, pulling one of the books on the shelf forward. It stopped halfway, quickly falling back into the bookcase. There was a quiet whirring noise and suddenly the bookshelf began to move, sliding sideways and revealing a locked door.

“But it might get you killed.”

Noctis scoffed, the gray fading away. A small smirk formed on his face. “Hasn’t stopped me before.”

Regis reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, unlocking the door and pushing it open. “And what do you mean by that?”

Noctis actually laughed, moving so he was standing beside his father. “Nothing.”

Regis looked over at his son, warmth filling his eyes. “You have grown so much, Noctis. I’m sorry I haven’t always been there to see it.”

Noctis nodded, looking towards the open door and into the darkness that followed. “Does this mean you will help me? Does this mean I can stay?”

“You can stay for the treaty signing, but you must explain to me what you know.”

“I can’t tell you everything.” Noctis said.

“Everything I know is not mine to tell.”

“I just need enough to understand, can you do that?”

Regis reached forward, flicking on a lightswitch in the room and stepping inside. Noctis looked with wide eyes at the room in front of him, his chest flickering with something he hadn’t felt in a while. It flickered with _hope._

“Yeah, I think I can do that.”

“Okay then.” Regis said, nodding quickly. “Then let’s get started.”


	16. Doomsday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! I guess it’s time for an explanation...  
> I would like to apologize for just disappearing into thin air. school just hit me like a bus and it turns out that my college classes have crazy workloads to them. even so, I am going to try and get back on my schedule of every other week.   
> I would like to thank y’all for all the kudos and comments! I love and appreciate every one of you :) welp, with all of that said, I hope y’all enjoy the new chapter. things are just gonna pick up from here

“Noct...Noct!”

Noctis’ head shot up quickly, a dagger being quickly summoned into his hand.   


“Hey, whoa! I’m friendly, I swear.”

Noctis looked over at Prompto who had his hands raised in surrender. Noctis blinked quickly, the haze of sleep clearing enough for Noctis to summon away the dagger. He yawned loudly, ruffling a hand through his messy hair.

“Sorry.” Noctis mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He looked back down at the table he was just asleep on, the maps and journals from his childhood scattered across its surface. Nyx was asleep in an armchair across the room from where Prompto was standing beside Noctis.

“Where are the others?” Noctis asked as he stood up, his hands moving on autopilot in order to tidy the papers sprawled across the table and floor.

“Went to sleep.” Prompto said as he moved to help Noctis. “I told them I’d wake you up. Nyx is a lost cause.”

Noctis chuckled as he stacked the last couple of papers before sliding them into the backpack that laid at his feet. Prompto snapped a rubber band loudly around one of the rolled up maps, causing Nyx to suddenly jolted awake in his chair.

“Seriously, that’s what woke you up?” Prompto whined as he watched Nyx slowly start to stand.

“Where is everyone?” Nyx asked, and all he got as an answer was a laugh.

The three headed out of the room, Noctis stopping to turn around and lock the door before Prompto pulled on a book and Regis’ bookshelf slid back into place.

“It’s crazy that your dad is letting us plan in there. I had no idea they had all those blueprints of the city.” Prompto said as he adjusted the strap of his backpack. They exited the King’s office, checking to make sure that nobody was in the hall before continuing towards the elevator in order to head to Noctis’ room.

“Yeah, it’s kinda shocking to me too.” Nyx said as he picked up his pace to walk beside Noctis. “I thought we weren’t supposed to tell the King anything.”

Noctis shrugged, stopping in front of the elevator and pushing the up button before turning to face Nyx.

“It was a spur of the moment. Besides, if I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have access to all that information. We have a better chance now.”

“That’s very true.” Nyx said. The elevator dinged and Prompto and Noctis stepped inside. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow, just text me.”

“Got it. Night, Nyx.” Noctis said as he did a small two-fingered salute towards the Glaive as the elevator doors slid shut.

The elevator rode up towards Noctis’ floor, a comfortable silence falling between the two friends. Noctis sighed, leaning his head back against the wall of the elevator as Prompto began to whistle a tune quietly.

The elevator dinged and the two stepped out and headed down to the end of the hall towards Noctis’ bedroom. Prompto was the first inside, quickly placing the bag down by Noctis’ closet as he began to place the maps back in their hiding spot behind Noctis’ jackets. Noctis followed suit by pulling out the boxes under his bed and sliding the notebooks back in order. 

Prompto quickly slung the bag into the depths of Noctis’ closet before moving towards the bedroom door. “I guess I’ll head out.”

Noctis watched as Prompto grabbed the door handle, quickly moving to place his hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “Wait!”

Prompto stopped moving, looking over his shoulder at his best friend.

Noctis’ eyes gazed over his best friend, looking down at his covered arms and the small bruise forming on the underside of his jaw. “Is your dad in town?”

Prompto slowly nodded, his grip on the doorknob tightening.

“Stay here for the night. Please.” Noctis said, commanding more than asking.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just-” Prompto tried to reject, tried to shy away from the pity Noctis’ was showing.

“Prom.” Noctis’ eyes ringed with grey. “Stay.”

Prompto went to speak again, his gaze moving from Noctis’ grey swirled eyes and the dark wood of the front door. His hand slipped away from the door knob, the sleeve of his shirt sliding up to reveal fingerprint shaped bruises. Noctis stiffened at the sight of the marred skin. Noctis squeezed Prompto’s shoulder, a sign of comfort.

Prompto didn’t put up a fight as Noctis dragged him away from the door and led him towards the bed. 

“Good night, Prompto.”

“Night, Noct.”

 

The next morning found Noctis back in his father’s study. Prompto, who had woken up early that morning due to a horrible nightmare, had subsequently awoken Noctis who had tried to soothe the boy back into bed. After calming him down and failing to convince Prompto to go back to sleep, the two deciding to keep planning the evacuation instead. 

“Hey, Noct?” Prompto spoke up for the first time that morning since they had left the Prince’s bedroom.

Noctis hummed in acknowledgement as he scribbled down some notes on where the subway could lead out towards the underground access gates and which ones they needed to open.

“How do you know this is gonna happen?”

Noctis stopped writing, his pen clicking closed and he lightly tossed it down. 

“It’s...an instinctive kind of thing.” Noctis said as he looked down at the multiple stacked blueprints. “I just know.”

“Okay...” Prompto trailed off and Noctis looked up again.

“You don’t like my answer.” Noctis said as he sighed, standing up and moving across the room to sit beside Prompto. 

“It’s just really vague, you know?” Prompto said as he turned to face his best friend.

“It’s better that way.” Noctis said. He smiled at the blond before standing. “But I do trust you. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’d be offended if you didn’t.” Prompto stuck his tongue out at the Prince, who did the same, before the door suddenly opened.

“Well, I’m glad you’re both progressing tremendously with our plans.” Ignis looked like he had just woke up, but was still able to get down to business real quick.

“We were, at least before you got here.” Noct said as he sat back down in front of his blueprints and plans. “Have you come to get me for training?”

“No, actually.” Ignis said. “You’re father has asked to see you. Immediately.”

Noctis froze, looking at his best friend and his advisor. “Keep planning. I’ll be back.”

Noctis stood and grabbed his black Crownsgaurd jacket that was thrown over a chair before exiting into his father’s office and into the hallway. He made his way towards the Citadel, having an idea of where his father will be.

As he entered the throne room, he spotted Clarus and Cor standing next to his father by the throne.

“Prince Noctis.” Cor said as he bowed, followed by Clarus.

He nodded to the two men before standing at the bottom of the stairs and bowing to his father.

“Noctis.” Regis spoke, causing the boy to look up. “Come here.”

Noctis walked up the stairs towards the throne, his hand instinctively going to trail lightly on the railing, old memories of another life flashing through his mind. It just reminded him of everything that was about to happen, and about how much could be different this time.

Noctis reached his father side, finally noticing the exhaustion lacing his features and the dark circles under his eyes.

Noctis knelt down by his father, placing a hand on his knee.

“You okay?” Noctis asked as his gaze flickered from his father to Clarus and then finally Cor.

Regis smiled, a hand coming to rest over his son’s. “Never better.”

Noctis shot him a skeptical look. “I doubt that.”

Ever since Noctis semi-breakdown in his father’s office, their relationship had shifted tremendously. Regis had made sure to sit down with Noctis and answer any questions he had, because it turned out that Regis was keeping just as many secrets from Noctis as Noctis had been keeping from him. It sent a shot of warmth through the Prince, their relationship become something similar to the one he had in his first life.

They had spent hours pouring their hearts out and discussing different misunderstandings between them. Regis relented the constant intake of potions that Noctis took after practice, and even explained to his son how these vials were supposed to suppress the emotions that were shown through Noctis’ eyes.

“But you don’t make the potions?” Noctis had asked one night as he sat in the hidden room in his father’s study. It had been a safe room for the King for if an attack were to happen, and Regis had stored valuable documents and city blueprints for years.

“I don’t have the capabilities to create such magic.” Regis had replied. “The side effects were unknown to me at the time, but as your behavior changed I knew something was wrong. For your sake, I didn’t say anything. I see that was the wrong thing to do.”

Even though they spoke, Noctis never really figured out what exactly were the ingredients for those vials.

Noctis looked over as Cor shifted towards the two royals.

“Is he okay?” Noctis asked Cor, knowing his father was just going to continue playing off his obvious exhaustion.

“Niflheim officials will be arriving in two days. That includes Emperor Aldercapt, Verstael Besithia, and the Nox Fleurets.”

Noctis nodded, looking back over at his father.

“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”

There was a small sigh from Cor before looking over at Clarus. He silently asked for the King’s shield to  _ answer, please _ .

“It seems that their arrival has been accelerated.”

Noctis shot his eyes over to Clarus. “Meaning?”

“They will be here tonight.”

Noctis groaned, leaning forward to rest his head on his father’s knee as he practically stared down the floor.

“That still doesn’t explain why you look, honestly, horrible.” Noctis looked back at Regis. 

“The Wall has just been pulling on me too much.” Regis answered simply, even shrugging to try and brush off the urgency of the situation. 

“It shouldn’t be. That was your gift, right? The strength to uphold the Wall.” Noctis looked back and forth between the three men, wanting a real straightforward answer.

“It was.” Regis coughed, Noctis’ eyes starting to swirl with silver specks. Worry.

“Dad, please.” Noctis emphasized. “You need to tell me how to help you.”

“We don’t know how.” Cor said. “We have no idea who or what’s causing this.”

Noctis looked over at his father, his eyes adjusting to see a faint white glow around the King. The silver in Noctis’ eyes turned into black, darkening Noctis’ surroundings. He inhaled a sharp breath, his hand leaving his father’s knee as he pushed himself back up into a standing position.

“Noctis?”

“I have an idea. Give me a few hours.”

“Wait, Noctis?” Regis called out as Noctis began to quickly hurrying down the stairs.

“I’ll be here tonight to welcome our guests!” Noctis exclaimed, distaste dripping in his words. “Don’t worry!”

Regis just watched as his son promptly swung open the throne room doors and listened as they slammed shut behind the Prince.   
  


“Stella.” Noctis whispered. “Stella, please help.”

Noctis was pacing around his room, watching as the sun began to set. The Niflheim officials will be arriving in mere minutes, and Noctis was struggling to contact his friend.

“Come on!” Noctis groaned, his hand lashing out to knock over the nearest object, sadly being his lamp on his nightstand. The ceramic base shattered as did the lightbulb, the bedroom falling into darkness besides the light from the setting sun shining in through the window.

Noctis sat down in his desk chair and sighed deeply, his head falling into his hands. 

“Noct?” 

Noctis head snapped up, looking around to find Stella. Instead, his gaze landed on Nyx standing by his door.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?”

Noctis shook his head, running a hand through his recently styled hair.

“No reason. You scared me.”

“My bad.” Nyx pushed the door open more, but didn’t step inside. Noctis waved the Kingsglaive towards him.

Nyx walked towards Noctis while he dug around in his pockets.  “Here. Prompto changed the frequency settings. The others will be able to communicate with us now.”

“Thanks Nyx.” Noctis took the box from Nyx’s outstretched hand and shoved the earpiece into his ear. 

“You ready?” The older asked.

Noctis nodded. “Everything ready on your end?”

“Just say the word.”

Noctis stood, adjusting the suit his father forced him to wear, before taking one last look out the window at the rising moon.

“I’m pretty sure you’ll know what’s happening before I say anything.”

The two exited the room as they walked through multiple hallways and down the elevator before meeting the King at the front entrance of the Citadel.

Noctis watched as Nyx moved to stand post by the entrance as Noctis slid up to his father’s side.

Regis’ hand reached up and squeezed his son’s shoulder quickly before falling back to his side.

“Did you get the answers you were looking for?”

Noctis shook his head. “Not exactly.”

There was movement behind the doors, the sound of a car’s engine getting louder. Noctis took a deep breath as he shook his arms out at his side. There was a pause as a car door was opened, and soon the front doors of the Citadel were swung open. 

Regis walked first, Noctis falling into step behind him. At the bottom of the stairs stood four people: Emperor Aldercapt, Ravus Nox Fluert, Stella Nox Fluert, and finally Ardyn Izunia.

Noctis’ eyes swam with red for a second before he was able to compose himself. He had to act as if he was still taking the potions. He eyed Ardyn with disgust, the familiarity of the man’s outfit and aura causing a chill to run down his spine.

The four made their way up the stairs towards the entrance where the Insomnian royals stood. Regis swept into a quick bow as Noctis quickly followed suit.

“Emperor Aldercapt.” Regis said.

“King Regis.” Aldercapt replied, his voice already setting Noctis on edge. He quickly glanced at the raven, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Prince Noctis.”

“Welcome to Insomnia.”

 


	17. Walls Will Crumble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I’m alive.  
> I apologize for not uploading. I just haven’t been as inspired as before. I’m not gonna say that I’ll upload every other week, I’m just going to say uploads will be random honestly and not as frequent. I will try my best to upload as much as I can but I still need to finish all my scholarship applications for college and my classes this semester have insane workloads.  
> but don’t worry! I’m not abandoning this fic, it just might take longer to finish.  
> Ok, all of that aside, I hope y’all enjoy the new chapter :)

Noctis sat next to his father at the dining table as he stared across at Stella Nox Fleuret. He had been trying so hard to stay composed, but the red flickered in his eyes every time he met Ardyn’s gaze. His restraint showed through the small crescent indents on his palm from digging his nails into the skin enough to draw blood. It was a tense dinner, scarce conversation floating throughout.

It felt like hours before Noctis was allowed to dismiss himself, Gladio and Nyx falling into line behind him as the prince heading towards his room. He stood straight, shoulders back, and head held high as he exited the room. He wouldn’t mention the line of sweat on his neck as he felt Ardyn’s eyes burning into the back of his skull.

Once the trio were far enough away from the dining hall and waiting in front of the elevators, Noctis’ shoulders hunched as he curled into himself, emotions flooding across his eyes. He groaned slightly, losing his footing as Gladio quickly directed him into the elevator. The doors slid shut and Nyx was down on the ground in front of Noctis, grabbing the young boy’s chin lightly and lifting his head.

“Just breathe, Noct. Okay?” Nyx said as he moved his hand from Noctis’ chin to his shoulder, squeezing slightly. “It will pass.”

Noctis nodded, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes. The dizziness from before began to blur before he was calm, his eyes no longer pulsing with colors.

“I’m good.” Noctis whispered as he stood up to his full height again. Nyx stood as well, brushing the dirt off his pants as the elevator doors slid open. Gladio placed a reassuring hand on Noctis’ back as they walked down the hall to Noctis’ bedroom. Noctis rubbed at his temples, just waiting until he could crawl under the covers and relieve his growing headache. 

The trio made their way to Noctis’ room, Gladio helping Noctis out of his suit jacket as Noctis kicked off his shoes into a random corner of his room. He rubbed at his temples as he walked towards the window overlooking the city. He heard Nyx bid them a good night before the door opened and closed again.

Noctis watched as the sky split as it did every night, Etro’s light flooding down onto the kingdom. _His kingdom._

“Stella…” Noctis whispered as he turned away from the window, roughly closing the blinds. “Where are you?”

****

Noctis hated parties.

Ever since his sixteenth birthday and the wonderful near death experience he had, it had been his goal to avoid attending parties of any sorts. Sadly, this wasn’t a party he could easily excuse himself from.

Many Niflheim delegates had shown up that morning, as well as an increase of Kingsglaive and Crownsgaurd around the Citadel.

Noctis watched as Ignis politely conversed with a few council members while Gladio stood by his father at the front of the room where Regis sat on the throne. Noctis begin his ascent up the stairs towards his father, looking over his shoulder at Nyx and Prompto who stood guard at the main entrance. 

Noctis couldn’t help the nervousness pooling in his gut, causing an uncomfortable buzz to settle on his skin. He was on high alert, as were the rest of his friends. 

Noctis began to move towards his father, noticing the Nox Fleurets moving closer and closer to where he was originally standing. He was mentally prepared for that social confrontation. 

Noctis’ eyes met his father’s, and Regis seemed to visibly relax. The current council member talking to the King moved to leave as soon as Noctis made his way to his father’s side. 

“How’s it going?” Noctis asked as he leaned down slightly to talk to his father. He tilted his body subtly as Gladio moved to block the royals from view.

“Nothing exciting as of yet.” Regis said as he shifted to slouched slightly in his chair. 

“I don’t think an invasion is exciting.” Noctis whispered, rolling his eyes. 

“Besides, didn’t you say you believe it’s not tonight?” Gladio had turned his head in order to input into the conversation.

“I mean, yeah.” Noctis replied, that horrible feeling in his gut settling deeper, making him feel as if he would sink into the floor. “But a lot has changed from what I believe.”

Noctis glanced behind himself, fully out of habit, only to meet Stella’s gaze. The eyes were unsettling once again, blue instead of pink, doing nothing to help his nervousness. 

“You don’t look too well, son.” Regis said. He looked concerned, and Noctis had to control himself to not show the same sentiment through the color of his eyes.

“I think I’m going to step away for a little. I won’t be long. Just need some space.” Noctis rushed through his words. He stopped himself at the end, pausing to take a deep breath to calm his racing heartbeat.

“Don’t be long, and don’t leave the ballroom.” Regis said, beginning to sit up straighter.

“Got it.”

Noctis began his descent down the stairs, moving through the small crowd as people casually talked. His eyes scanned the room, noticing the stairs leading to the second floor. It surrounded the perimeter of the room, providing a place to look down at the people below. He saw only a few partygoers above him, suddenly deciding that’s where he needed to go. He hurried up the stairs, his sleek black dress shoes clipping against the marble floor. Once he reached the second floor, a sigh of relief left his lips. He felt as if he could finally breathe again. Noctis pushed his hair out of his face, the hair gel no longer doing its job correctly. He moved towards the large windows showcasing the skyline of Insomnia. He watched as lights flickered off in apartment buildings, citizens heading off to bed. He saw people moving about, enjoying their night with family and friends.

Noctis looked down, unable to look at the carefree people down on the streets. They had no idea what was to come. 

Noctis began to wonder if his plan was correct. Had he accounted for everything? Did everyone understand their roles in his plan of salvation? The fear was crippling, to say the least. His ears were ringing, the sound of political chatter from below fading out into white noise. It seemed stepping away from the party just made his thoughts run even more wild.

“I can hear you thinking from over here.” 

Noctis swiftly turned, watching as Stella walked towards him from the stairs. Apparently she had spotted him leaving the crowd, and now he was stuck alone with her.

“It’s been a busy few days.” Noctis said as he stepped away from the window, moving towards a small bench placed by the railing. 

“It has indeed. There is so much that is going to change.” Stella said as she moved to said by Noctis. 

“All good, I hope.” Noctis mumbled, but Stella just laughed lightly. He looked up as Stella begin to look around the room, her eyes landing on a large portrait hanging on the wall. She stepped away from him, moving towards the painting.

“It’s beautiful.” She whispered in amazement. “Is that Etro?”

Noctis had to hide the look of surprise from his face. “Yeah. I didn’t even know it was here.” He stood as well, watching from the corner of his eye as the sky split open and the Light began to shine down on Insomnia. 

Stella seemed to lean even closer to the painting as she studied the whispering lines of white and blue that surround the form of a beautiful woman. Etro’s eyes were closed, her body seemingly wrapped in the dark blue and black lines that seemed to suffocate her.

The Light shone in from the window, casting a shadow upon the painting. Noctis instinctively stepped back, a habit he had developed to be sure the Light wasn’t landing on him.

Stella seemed to notice his sidestep, her head tilting slightly as she studied the Prince.

“Noctis you see the light, right?”

Noctis stopped, his head snapping away from the painting and towards Stella.

“You can see it too?” Noctis asked as Stella simply nodded.  “How long have you been able to see it?”

“Ever since I was a child.” Stella looked back at the painting, studying the brush strokes once again.

“Near death experience, right?” Noctis asked slowly, moving towards the painting once more as the Light moved away towards another part of the city.

“Yes, was it the same for you?”

“Yeah, and it’s not my fondest memory.” Noctis felt the scars on his back burn with phantom pain.

“It’s said that Goddess Etro will open the gate as she welcomes the souls of the departed. When that happens, a bright light is set to shine down from the land of the dead. Anyone who witnesses that light are rumored to have great power. Or that’s how the legend is supposed to go, the one from Tenebrae at least.” Stella was still in awe of the painting, her eyes never leaving the canvas to look at Noctis.

“We have the same legend here.”

“So, did you receive any power, Prince Noctis?” 

Noctis paused to think. He couldn’t say anything, obviously. He had to make sure Stella didn’t suspect anything. “Don’t think I want anything like that. I am fine the way I am.”

“That’s what I thought!” Stella suddenly exclaimed, turning quickly to look at Noctis. “No matter the power, if it is at the cost of someone’s life, it would-it would give me nightmares.”

“Me too. Good thing it’s just a fairy tale. But hey, I wouldn’t talk to anyone else about the light.”

“How come?” Stella seemed extremely confused by the question. Noctis had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

“Being too different from others only causes problems.” Noctis said, his heart aching. He knew from experience what it’s like to be different. You stand out too much, and a small part of him wanted to make sure Stella didn’t stand out enough to get killed. He had to save her, even if it was her pink eyed counterpart.

“So, if the legend is just some kind of fairy tale, what do you think the light really is?”

“It’s just something that’s there. Why can’t that be enough?” Noctis snapped. He looked down, the feeling in his gut intensifying. Something was off, but he shouldn’t have snapped at Stella. “Sorry. Long night.”

“I understand.” Stella said, her composure still cheerful. She wasn’t upset. 

Noctis sighed in relief. Making Stella mad would not bode well in his favor.

“Well I should be going now.” Noctis leaned over the railing slightly to look at his father, who was once again being swamped by important officials and council members alike.

Stella followed the Prince’s gaze, smiling softly. “I thought as much. Thank you for your time, Prince Noctis.”

“Call me Noct.” Noctis replied. It would make it feel less unsettling when he spoke to this Stella if she referred to him less formally.

“I should take my leave as well.” She paused, turning back around with a small smile on her face. “You know, it feels like I was given a power from that light tonight. I was given a chance to speak with you.”

“Well then,” Noct shrugged, a small smile tugging on his lips. “Enjoy the nightmares.”

“You’re funny, Prince Noctis.”

“Just Noct.”

“I’ll call you that the next time we meet. You should come to Tenebrae one day. I’ll show you around.”

Noctis just nodded, his gut twisting again. He’d never get to see Tenebrae standing again, that he was sure. But Stella didn’t need to know that.

Noctis watched as Stella headed down the stairs, giving Noctis one more moment alone before he would have to return to the party. He looked out of the window once again, watching as Etro’s light was pulled back into the clouds, the dark settling over Insomnia once again. He went to turn, but stopped short. He looked back outside again, practically squinting to make sure he was seeing things correctly. 

Noctis’ breathe caught in his throat as he watched an imperial airship began to come closer and closer to the Citadel, its speed picking up rapidly. Noctis moved quickly hurrying towards the stairs. His hand moved to his ear, tapping the earpiece to turn it on.

“Imperial airship inbound. I think it’s going to ram the ballroom.” Noctis grabbed the railing sliding around the edge and beginning to run down the stairs.

“Noctis, get down here now.” Gladio’s voice was stern, and he looked across the ballroom to see his shield’s eyes on him.

“Don’t you see that-” 

Noctis got cut off as his gaze shifted to the row of windows on the first floor. The airship was right there and it wasn’t slowing down at all. He barely had time to summon his Engine Blade before the airship rammed into the window and Noctis went flying off the staircase.

Noctis slammed into the ground and suddenly everything went black.


	18. The Fall: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s a (late) Christmas miracle! I finally wrote a new chapter after being sick for two weeks! hopefully my classes for the upcoming semester have easy workloads so I’ll be able to update more. until then, happy holidays to everyone and I hope y’all enjoy the chapter :)

Noctis felt like he had been unconscious for hours, but apparently it was only a few minutes. He could hear screaming around him, seeming to fade in and out as he forced his eyelids open. There was someone leaning over him, their hand cupping the back of his neck while the other hand shook his shoulder.

“Noct!” Noctis gasped lightly, his eyes focusing on Gladio as he knelt above him. 

“I’m good.” Noct muttered, pushing himself upwards as Gladio grabbed his arm and pulled him the rest of the way. “Where are the others?”

Gladio looked around quickly, watching as MTs began to file out of the airship that had just crashed through the floor to ceiling windows.

“Already moving. Let’s go.”

Gladio kept a hand around Noctis’ arm at all times, pulling him through the crowds of people rushing out of the ballroom and down the stairs

“Where is my dad?” Noctis yelled over the commotion of the crowd, leaning into Gladio so he could hear him better.

“Lost him, but my dad’s probably with him. He knows the rendezvous.”

Noctis nodded, a nervous feeling pooling in his gut. He wasn’t supposed to lose sight of his dad.

Noctis followed Gladio through the crowds and out the main double doors. People were screaming, their bodies shoving into each other and causing Noctis to stumble more than once. Gladio grabbed his arm again, dragging him down a dead end hallway as everyone else flooded by. 

“Which light?” Gladio asked as his fingers skimmed over the two wall lights fixated on either side of a portrait of one of Noctis’ distant relatives.

“Right.” Noctis said as he quickly reached forward and tugged the light forward, letting it go when he felt resistance. The light fell back to the wall and the wall panel sunk in with a small  _ thud.  _ Gladio shouldered the wall and pushed in, stepping aside when the path was clear so Noctis could slide into the wall and begin down a flight of stairs.

“Crazy how all these hidden paths were here and no one knew.” Gladio said as he pushed the wall back into place before pulling out his flashlight.

“Yeah, my ancestors were just a little paranoid.” Noctis reply as he continued his trek.

The two exited out through the back of a bookcase in the library by the main entrance of the citadel. Noctis rushed forward as he spotted Prompto. The blood running down his head was not comforting.

“Prompto!” Noctis exclaimed as he immediately began to examine his friend for wounds the second he was within arm’s reach. “What happened?”

“Just a few Nifs. I’m fine.” Prompto said as he reached up and wiped some blood that was falling into his eyes.

“Did you get the side gates open?” Noctis asked as he pulled a potion from the Armiger and broke it in Prompto’s hands.

“Yeah, everyone is evacuating as we speak.” Prompto said as he stepped back. “But we’ve got another problem.”

Noctis gave a questioning look which Prompto responded with a nod towards the main doors.

“Ah, shit.” Gladio muttered as he was peeking out of one of the front windows.

Noctis moved beside him and let out a heavy sigh at the sight of a wave of MT soldiers marching towards the stairs leading to the citadel.

“What do we do?” Prompto asked as he moved behind Noctis.

“Wait for my signal. I’ll deal with them.” Noctis said as he stepped away from the window.

“No, no way.” Gladio grabbed Noctis’ arm as he tried to head for the door. “You’re not going out there by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine, Gladio. Don’t worry.” Noctis said. “Trust me. Please.”

Gladio was obviously hesitant, his grip still tight on Noctis’ arm. He sighed, letting the Prince go as he stepped back towards Prompto. “Don’t get killed.”

“I’ll try my best.” Noctis said as he moved towards the doors. With one last glance at his friends, who had moved to crouch behind a lavish couch, he pushed the doors open.

 

Ignis’ worry grew with the number of citizens that were still evacuating into the subways. He stood by the west entrance, hurrying people along as more airships pushed towards the city. The Wall was still up, the airship from earlier being the one that had dropped off some Imperial officials for the party earlier. 

“Has anyone gotten through to Noctis? Or Gladio?” It is asked into his earpiece. There was static before Nyx’s voice came through.

“I think Noctis lost his earpiece when he fell from the stairs. I tried reaching Gladio, but he’s not answering.” 

Ignis cursed under his breath, reaching forward at that moment to help a little girl who had slipped before the stairs.

“What about Prompto?”

“I saw him at the east side gates. He’s not answering, though.” Crowe said. “I’m almost clear here. How about you Ignis?”

Ignis sighed as he sidestepped to avoid a crowd of people rushing down the stairs. “Still busy. Ten minutes tops.”

“We don’t have ten minutes. The King is MIA and he was supposed to keep the Wall up.” Nyx groaned. There was a screeching of metal followed by a few colorful words from Nyx. “And now Nifs are showing up. Just great.”

“Just keep safe.” Ignis said. “And meet at the rendezvous once everyone is evacuated.”

“Got it.” Nyx said quickly before the clash of swords were heard.

Ignis ushered more people down the stairs when he saw MTs rounding the corner of the street. A few citizens were cut down, others dodging attacks while shoving younger children towards the subway exit.

Ignis hurried towards the MTs, his daggers materializing in his hands as the first MT noticed his presence. Ignis swung quickly, dodging the sword aimed towards his head. He continued to evade attacks, losing his footing once when an explosion went off from one of the MTs self-destructing. His body went sideways, crashing through the window of the nearby store. He groaned as his body hit the ground, his palms burning as tiny glass shards embedded into his skin. He shook away the dizziness that fogged his vision before quickly standing, looking down as a spot of red spread throughout his abdomen. His hands skimmed down and felt the piece of glass digging into his stomach. The blood flow was stronger than he expected, probably due to all the movement he was doing before. He leaned against the nearest wall, peeking outside to make sure all the MTs were gone. When his worries were quelled, his tried to summon a potion only to come up empty handed.

Ignis sighed before reaching up to activate his earpiece. “Does anybody have a potion on them?”

There was a moment of silence which Ignis used to stepped through the window and back out onto the street. He palms were stinging now, the blood smeared across his hands after a failed attempt to pull out a small shred of glass. 

Static cracked through his earpiece, followed by Crowe’s out of breath answer. “I don’t have any. Neither does Nyx.”

“And we can’t get through to Gladio or Prompto.” Ignis sighed, wincing as he picked up the pace towards the parking garage on the corner where he left the Regalia.

“Are you hurt?” That was Nyx, his breath just as ragged.

“Um, no.” Ignis said quickly. “For a civilian. It’ll be fine though. I’m heading your way.”   
“Copy. Be safe.” Crowe said before the line cut out. 

Ignis nodded as if Crowe could see him as he walked towards the parking garage entrance. A flash of pink caught his gaze suddenly, Ignis fully believe he was just losing too much blood. He turned, watching as a blonde girl in a white dress ran past down the street, a pink light surrounding her.

“Lady Stella?” Ignis muttered, too late to call out to Stella. He filed the scene in the back of his mind, moving towards the stairs to get to the third floor of the parking garage so he could trudge up the stairs before everything started spinning.

 

Noctis let out a rugged breath, looking down at the lines of soldiers with their guns raised towards the raven. Noctis focused on their forms, seeing a white glow surrounding them as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. He skimmed his gazed across the soldiers again, his eyes stopping on one just as they pulled the trigger.

Noctis acted fast, summoning his weapons to surroundhim and create a small barrier. The bullets ricocheted as small shards of the crystallized weapons flew around Noctis. More MTs began to fire, their bullets leaving marks on the ground and up the stairs. 

Noctis reaches forward and grabbed his Engine Blade from the encircling weapons before warping forward. He took out two MTs at once, his feet colliding with the metal of their chests before warping again. He kept moving, never staying on the ground for more than a few seconds before warping again. 

Noctis felt a bullet knick his shoulder, wincing slightly as his sword took off the head of another soldier. 

Another soldier rammed the butt of their gun into Noctis’ back, sending him sprawling towards the pavement. He turned to face the soldier as they advanced, their gun focused straight at Noctis. Noctis couldn’t react before a bullet left the chamber and went straight through the MTs head.

Noctis looked to the side to see Prompto at the top of the stairs. His gun was in his head, pointing at the MT that was now dead on the floor.

Noctis summoned a dagger and threw it towards Prompto, warping to his best friend’s side.

“Nice shot.” Noctis said as he first bumped Prompto.

“Thank you.” Prompto said, twirling his gun between his fingers.

“Don’t start celebrating yet.” Gladio appeared on Noctis’ other side, pointing towards another wave of soldiers heading your way.

Noctis watched as they advanced, but looked past the MTs only to see a familiar girl run by.

“Stella?” Noctis muttered. He turned towards Gladio, dragging him by the arm over to Prompto. “Can you hold these guys off?”

“Yeah, but where are you gonna go?” Gladio asked as he stepped back so he could summon his Greatsword.

“Gotta deal with a Princess. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous.”

Gladio didn’t even get to respond before Noctis was running off, warping over to the other side of the soldiers before disappearing around the corner and down the street.


	19. The Fall: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! I’m back and the ending is here. thank you so much for all the love and support you guys have given me as I’ve taken forever to finish the book (and it’s only part one I’m such a fool). but I’m not gonna write a long note so you can jump right in. but please,  
> LOOK AT THE TAGS THEYVE BEEN UPDATED.  
> that’s all I’m gonna say. until next time, enjoy!

Nyx wiped dirt out of his eyes as he pulled his dagger out of the last MT. He looked around at the piles of metal that remained from the MTs he had just taken down.

“Crowe, what’s your position?” Nyx asked as he raised his hand to his earpiece.

“Heading your way. Meet halfway?” Crowe’s voice came through the earpiece along side static, but Nyx could make out her words.

“Copy.” Nyx replied quickly as he began his trek through the city, watching as the wall still stood, keeping the rest of the airships out of the city. Nyx’s gaze went to the horizon as the sun was beginning to rise. At least they wouldn’t have to deal with daemons. 

Nyx stopped suddenly as he noticed two figures moving across the roofs of a few compact buildings, a familiar symbol on the breast of one of the men.

“Crowe! I’ve spotted the King. They’re heading towards the Citadel!”

“Why?” Crowe asked, speaking again although her words were muffled. 

“I’m not sure. I’m heading back to the Citadel. Get Ignis and the others and meet me there!” Nyx shouted out the order as he warped forward, trying to keep pace with the King and his Shield.

“Nyx, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Crowe voice was laced with worry, her voice cutting out more as Nyx moved further and further away from the rendezvous.

“We need to meet up together. I’ll get the King and head back. It’ll be-” Nyx stopped talking as he gazed upon the MTs marching towards him, his daggers summoning into his hands on instinct. “Easy.”

****

Noctis hurried down the streets, stepping over mutilated MTs and piles of rubble, rushing to keep sight of the pink glow trailing behind Stella.

Noctis rushed around a parking garage, sliding across the asphalt as he spotted Stella standing alone in the street. He noticed she had changed outfits, wearing a black skirt and black tank top with a white blouse tied over the top. Noctis seemed to suffocate in his suit, even if the jacket was lost long ago.

“Stella!” Noctis exclaimed as he warped forward, standing across from the Princess but keeping a wide berth. “We need to get out of here!”

“No, Noctis, I don’t.” Stella spoke calmly, her blue eyes oddly cold. “And neither do you.”

“What-” Noctis reeled back as pink light suddenly flashed behind Stella, forming into intricate designs with Etro Script lining the edges. She raised her hand out in front of her, quickly summoning a thin rapier. 

Noctis acted on instinct, summoning his Engine Blade as he took a few more steps backwards. “Stella, I don’t want to fight you.”

Stella didn’t respond, rushing forward while sweeping her sword towards Noctis’ stomach. Noctis leaned back, side stepping around the girl. He swung his sword low, slicing a light cut into the back of Stella’s legs, causing her to tumble forward. 

“I’m trying to help you.” Noctis gritted as his head pounded, probably a concussion from his collision with the floor earlier that night. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Stella stood up as she swung again, nicking Noctis’ arm. Noctis countered, their swords clashing in a screech of metal. Blue eyes met, one pair cold and the other pair tinged with red.

The moon peeked through the clouds, showering Stella in a white light. Noctis watched as her eyes began to flicker, pink filling her irises.

“Stella?” Noctis asked as he pushed her back slightly, their swords disconnecting.

“I don’t have long.” Her words were strained, as if every second she had control of her own body was wearing her down. “Just knock her out, but don’t hurt her.”

“I’d never hurt you.” Noctis said as he stepped towards Stella. The girl smiled, stepping towards Noctis.

“A nice uppercut should do it.” Stella simply shrugged as she told Noctis, a small chuckle actually falling from the prince’s lips.

“I never expected you to say something like that.” 

“Well, I am full of surprises.” Stella said, before her eyes rolled back as Noctis’ palm met Stella’s jaw. He quickly caught her before her body hit the pavement, sweeping the Princess up into his arms and moving her into a nearby building, laying her down behind one of the checkout counters.

Noctis exited the store, stopping for a moment to collect his thoughts before shifting his direction to head towards the rendezvous. He was only a few blocks down the street until the Regalia came barreling down the street, screeching to a stop in front of Noctis.

The window rolled down with Prompto at the wheel. His head wound had opened again, blood caked in his hair as one eye began to bruise.

“Get in.” Prompto said sharply, Noctis acting immediately and moving to the passenger side and sliding into the car.

Noctis didn’t even have his seatbelt on before Prompto was shifting the car back into drive, speeding down the roads and expertly avoiding any debris.

“Where’s Ignis?” Noctis asked. His question was answered by a weak cough from the backseat. Noctis whipped his head around, finally acknowledging the three people squeezed into the backseat of the car. Ignis laid across Gladio’s lap, his head resting in Crowe’s hands as she muttered healing spells over and over. “What happened?”

“Small accident.” Ignis said, his voice trailing quieter with each word.

“Shut up.” Gladio muttered as he pressed harder onto Ignis’ wound. “Save your strength.”

“Where’s Nyx?” Noctis’ gazed shifted to Crowe as she drew her hands back, watching as Ignis’ eyes slid shut and his breathing leveled out.

“He’s gonna meet us at the rendezvous. He saw the King.” Crowe pushed her hair out of her face, accidentally smearing blood over her forehead in the process.

Noctis nodded, turning back around and focusing on Prompto. His best friend’s hands were clenching tight around the steering wheel, knuckles white.

Noctis reached out, wiping a line of blood away from the blonde’s face before placing his hand on top of Prompto’s. The boy looked over at Noctis quickly before averting his gaze to the road again.

“He’s hurt.” Prompto muttered.

“He’ll be fine.” Noctis grumbled. “Just drive.”

****

Nyx panted from exertion, the pull of the Crystal’s energy wearing him down. He watched as the King followed behind Clarus, heading around the gate of the Citadel towards the East side.

“Where are you going?” Nyx panted to himself, warping once more to reach the corner of the East wall of the Citadel. He watched as the King hurried up the stairs, clinging to Clarus’ arm. Nyx went to follow when a high pitched hum and static filled his ear, causing him to wince.

“Nyx?” It was surprising Gladio’s voice that came through the Kingsglaive’s ear. “Nyx, do you copy?”

“Yeah. I’m here.” Nyx replied opening the metal gate in front of him and heading up the Citadel stairs, having lost sight of the King. “You guys nearby?” 

“Two blocks from the Citadel. You have eyes on the King?”

“I did.” Nyx grunted with the effort of shoving open the main doors. “I might have just lost sight of him. I’ll keep looking, though. He’s definitely in the Citadel.”

“Copy. We’ll be there soon.”

Nyx nodded, not verbally replying to Gladio. The glaive moved through the main hall, turning to face the elevator shafts. He watched as the floor indicator above the elevator on his right was increasing with the floor levels, finally stopping on the top floor.

“The roof, huh? Not generic at all.” Nyx mumbled as he clicked the up button before stepping into the elevator and having the doors shut behind him.

****

Noctis was stepping out of the car before it even stopped moving, hurrying up the steps of the Citadel.

“Prompto, stay with Ignis and keep the engine running!” Noctis yelled over his shoulder as he threw the main doors open. He could hear Gladio and Crowe’s footsteps behind him as he slid to a stop in front of the elevators.

Noctis raised a hand to his earpiece. “Nyx, any news?”

There was a beat of silence in which Noctis reached forward to push the up button.

“Nyx?” It was Crowe this time, hands wringing together.

A line of static came through before a loud gunshot rang through everyone’s ears.

“Nyx!” Noctis yelled as the elevator doors opened.

“Top floor!” Nyx’s voice was strained as it filtered through their earpiece.

Gladio slammed the top button, pushing the close doors button repeatedly. The elevator ride seemed to take forever and the doors were barely open before Noctis was sprinting down the hall and throwing open the roof access door. Noctis warped up the small flight of stairs and was hit with the rough winds from the outside.

“Dad!” Noctis yelled as he scanned the area, only to find his father missing. His gaze shifted to Nyx, who was crouching over a body on the floor, a pool of blood lying on the ground.

“Dad!” Gladio screamed the name this time, rushing forward and falling to the ground beside Nyx, his hands moving to hold his father’s.

Clarus laid on the ground, blood coming from almost everywhere. Deep gashes ran down his arms while a bullet was lodged into his chest, right where his left lung was.

“No, dad, please.” Gladio choked, his hand moving to push back his dad’s hair. Clarus’ eyes were glazed over, his chest unmoving. He was dead before they arrived.

“What happened?” Noctis whispered, standing behind Nyx. 

“I-It happened so fast. I only got here right before-“

“Before what?” Gladio gritted out, his grip tightening on his father’s hand.

“Before your dad jumped in front of the King.” Nyx said.

“Who shot him?” Noctis asked as he stepped back.

“I didn’t see. He was wearing a top hat, red hair. Lots of dark clothing.” Nyx shook his head, looking down. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew more.”

Noctis nodded, placing his hand on Nyx’s shoulder. “It’s fine. You saw more than enough.”

“You know who did this?” Gladio asked, his voice becoming watery. 

“Yeah. I think so.”

“I’m gonna kill him.” 

“You and me both.” Noctis agreed, looking at Gladio. His heart broke at the sight, his brother crying silently over his father. It was worse than before, Gladio didn’t see his father die last time. It made everything more real.

“Hey guys.” Crowe’s voice sounded from behind Noctis, on the other side of the roof. “You need to see this.”

Noctis moves first, walking over the Crowe’s side. Nyx stood slowly, unable to draw his eyes away from the blood on his hands as he moved to stand on Crowe’s other side.

Noctis could feel the fear creeping in, the black swirling in his eyes. Insomnia laid in ruins, smoke rising from fires, the ash burning their noses. The dark skies were lit by the Wall, keeping the airships at bay. Everything was gone, his dad was missing, Ignis was bleeding out in the back seat of the Regalia, and Gladio was in tears over his father’s body.

Everything Noctis tried to fix, everything he was trying to do, was for nothing.

“Noctis, we need to go.” Nyx whispered. “If the King gets out of the city, gets too far away-“

“The Wall will fall. I know.” Noctis replied. He lightly gripped Crowe’s arm, who was covering her mouth with her hand to hold back her sobs, leading her towards the stairwell. “Go back to the car, Gladio and I will be down soon.”

Nyx hesitated before nodding, wrapping an arm around Crowe and leading her down the stairs. Noctis waited until the door closed before turning back to Gladio, who had now dragged his father’s head into his lap and was slouched over his body.

“Gladio…” Noctis sank to the ground beside Gladio, readily opening his arms to hug him.

“He’s dead.” Gladio choked on a sob, the first sound of crying.

“I know. I’m so sorry.” Noctis squeezed the shield in his arms. “It’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not.” Gladio replied, moving out of the embrace. They sat in silence for a few seconds more until Noctis spoke.

“We can take him with us. Bury him outside the city.”

Gladio seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding.

The two carried the body down the stairs and into the elevator, struggling down the stairs of the Citadel as Prompto stepped out of the Regalia and rushed forward to help carry the body down the lay few steps. Nyx has managed to find a truck abandoned outside the Citadel, hotwiring it and pulling it up behind the Regalia. 

Clarus was placed in the truck bed, Prompto’s discarded jacket laid over his torso to hide the blood stains.

As the group split into the two cars, Nyx and Gladio in the truck with Noctis, Prompto, Crowe, and Ignis in the Regalia. They traversed the destroyed roads of Insomnia, exiting out of the East gate which Prompto had left open for them. Prompto drove steady, glancing back at Ignis throughout the ride as Crowe continued to muttering healing spells despite her fatigue.

“I messed up.” Noctis said as he glanced at Prompto. “I should have known, I should have done better.” 

“You couldn’t have known. Your _sources,_ or however you know this stuff, had you think everything would go down tomorrow. That didn’t happen and that’s not on you.” Prompto sighed, avoiding a fallen phone line. “Listen, buddy. It’s going to be really rough. Gladio’s dad just died, Ignis is in bad shape, your dad is missing. As of now, you’re King.”

“And what are you?” Noctis asked.

“Really dizzy.” Prompto replied, chuckling slightly. “But I’ll live. We all will. We’ve gotta survive.”

“Yeah, we’ll survive.” Noctis breathes out as Insomnia faded from view, only the dark clouds of smoke drifting in the wind.

Insomnia has still fallen, Clarus is still dead, but Regis is alive. Noctis created some sort of change. And if that small change can alter the future, then maybe he can do something. Maybe he can save his family, his brothers, his father.

Maybe he can save Stella.

But whatever the future holds, there’s one thing he’ll have to do first. Noctis will have to fix everything that’s been broken, starting with his friends.

And maybe then, just maybe, Noctis can save Insomnia, and maybe he won’t be dead on the throne at the end of everything.


	20. Interlude: New Emergence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of a kingdom and the beginning of the reign of the Chosen King

They buried Clarus outside of Hammerhead, behind the garage. The group stood around the hole they dug early that morning, Clarus’ body wrapped in fresh sheets Cindy had bought for them.

Iris stood beside her brother after arriving with a group of refugees the previous night. She sobbed into his chest as Gladio held her tight. Prompto was gripping Noctis’ arm as Crowe curled into Nyx’s side. Ignis was still unconscious, laying in Cindy’s bed in her room above Takka’s Pit Shop. One of the refugees who arrived with Iris was a doctor and helped stitch up the advisor, but him not waking yet caused fear and guilt to stir in Noctis’ gut.

“Your father lived his life loyal, and died loyal.” Noctis met Gladio’s gaze, bowing his head. “And for that I am forever grateful.”

Iris’ loud sobs rang through the desert, Promto’s lashes gathered with tears as his grip tightened. 

“With everything in me, I will avenge your father. I won’t stop until Insomnia is ours again and we can go home.” Noctis’ eyes swam with a dark federal blue, determination burning through his veins. “I promise you, brother.”

Gladio nodded, smiling slightly. “Thank you.”

The group stepped away as Gladio and Iris said their last goodbyes, all crowding into a booth at Takka’s.

“That was quite a speech, Your Majesty.” Nyx said as he ate a few fries off Prompto’s plate.

“I hope it helped.” Noctis replied, moving on autopilot to remove all signs of vegetables from his plate.

Nyx nodded, looking back towards the direction of Gladio and Iris.

“So, what’s next?” Prompto asked as he began to eat Noctis’ discarded vegetables. 

“We have to find the Royal Arms, then we can head to Altissia to find the Crystal. If my dad’s going somewhere, it’s towards a Crystal.”

“And if he’s not?” Crowe muttered, mixing her coffee but not drinking it.

“Then hopefully he’s coming to us.”

 

The sun set and everyone settled into the caravan, but Noctis snuck out once everyone was asleep, heading out towards the garage and climbing to the roof. The sky split and the moon shone down on Noctis, a voice whispering through the air.

“Are you ready to learn?” The female spoke, her voice tinged with sadness. “You have suffered, but you are strong. Can you be the King they need?”

Noctis felt his chest sting, the sword that was once there fueling his resolve. If he could be the King before, he can be the King again. 

“I can, but not alone.” He replied, feeling a cold breeze pass through him.

“Then you go with my blessing.” Etro spoke. “Save your kingdom, Oh Chosen King, and the balance will be restored.”


End file.
